Bound To You
by TandyHardXXX
Summary: It's 1928, a year before the crash on Wall Street. Naruto and his best friend Gaara try to survive the dangerous streets of New York. The Uchiha Clan has set up their crime syndicate in Brooklyn & battle it out with other Japanese Clans for control. Naruto is faced with coming to terms with his feelings for Sasuke. Should he stay or leave New York with Gaara for California?
1. Chapter 1: The old bait and hook

**A/N** \- Welcome to my very first FanFic! To give you a heads up, please know that I like portraying Sasuke and Naruto without feminine qualities. So if you're only interested in one playing the male role while the other takes the female role, you have come to the wrong story. In my world, these two men are men. Strong-willed, passionate and ever always desperately needing each other. There will be **SasuNaru** and **NaruSasu**. I like being able to interchange them at any moment.

In this story **THERE WILL BE SURPRISES**. There will be **deaths** and a possible side character death. In the words of Virginia Woolf "Because somebody always has to die."

 **Warning** : There will be **HARD YAOI** in this. **Everything from rough sex to some BDSM, masturbation and the like will be featured at some point in this story. I also enjoy cursing a lot in real life so there will be cursing here and there.**

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own Naruto and make zilch off of this. I just do it for the pleasure.

 _And last but most definitely not least, a HUGE thank you and much LOVE to KizuKatana! Thank you for being not only my beta for this story but also an invaluable source of advice and inspiration. Your constant encouragement kept me going and I couldn't have done this without you! I dedicate this story to you, luv!_

* * *

Chapter One: The old bait and hook

"You're shitting me."

"Orange groves and palm trees. I swear!"

"What the fuck do I care about orange groves and palm trees?" Gaara shot his best friend a sideways glare. Why did Naruto always think that somewhere else would be better than wherever he was? Always believing things would get better. Their luck would change. Everything would be okay. No amount of sleeping in alleyways or eating out of dumpsters had ever diminished his friend's optimistic view of their future.

"Because we'd be outta this fucking city and away from all this… shit." Naruto passed his hand out toward the cold, wet city street laid out in front of them. They had been walking their way through Queens trying to get into Brooklyn before nightfall. The Chinese ran most of Queens. And while there were a few Japanese holdouts, the Chinese generally didn't put up with Japanese street-gang members crossing through their turf after dark. Especially, well-known Japanese street hoods like Naruto and Gaara. It wasn't as if the two men rivaled Chicago's Capone or any of the heavy-hitters vying for power in the boroughs of New York City. But given how many headaches they've given to some of the well known crime syndicates in Queens, a few cases of hootch missing here, a register till emptied there, just the sight of the the blond haired petty thief and his red-headed cohort hanging around after dark would piss off even the lowest level foot soldier enough to give chase. The two lifetime crooks had yet to ever get caught by the big boys, though everyone sure as hell suspected them.

"Yeah, well, getting outta this particular shitty place seems like a good idea, Naru. Pick up the pace." Gaara shot another glare at his friend.

"We'll make it." Naruto shoved his hands into his pants pockets and gave his stoic friend a lopsided grin. "Look, we're just a few blocks from The Tokyo Palace." Naruto jerked his chin up and to the right, indicating the turn off up ahead that would take them straight to the largest Japanese owned establishment this close to Queens.

The Uchiha Clan owned The Tokyo Palace. They were what Gaara called, Old World Japanese. All of the hierarchy and ruthless loyalty of the feudal days of Japan flowed strongly through their organization. No one ratted. No one disobeyed. The Uchiha brothers ruled their turf with an iron fist that even the toughest Chinese Tongs couldn't touch.

Though technically in Brooklyn, their hotel and nightclub was situated right near the border of Brooklyn and Queens. As if taunting the Chinese with its presence.

Years ago, the the Uchiha Clan had purchased the run down hotel and restaurant only to fix it up and turn it into a luxury hotel and nightclub. It didn't look like much from the outside as the Uchiha hadn't wanted to draw too much attention to themselves, but both the men had heard tell that the hotel mainly catered to the wealthier Japanese who had left Brooklyn for Scarsdale and Long Island. And those now well-off Japanese were more than willing to venture back into Brooklyn and enjoy the only upscale Japanese nightclub in downstate New York.

Naruto and Gaara had never been inside the club or the hotel but they knew that the Uchiha were running a speakeasy through it and were ruthless when it came to protecting their businesses from the Chinese tongs. Naruto and Gaara would be much safer once they reached it. No Chinese would dare go within a hundred feet of it.

The two of them had made it a point to never mess with any Uchiha property. In kind, the bouncers had never made a fuss whenever Naruto and Gaara would sometimes hang around near the entrance, smoking cigarettes while checking out the coming and goings of the elite patrons.

Oh, the Uchiha clan was a tempting mark alright, given the amount of money the clan took in. But both men knew it was much safer to pick off the scraps left vulnerable by the Chinese or even the rich snobs in uptown Manhattan rather than risk pilfering goods off any of the Japanese syndicates in Brooklyn. Especially the from the Uchiha. Even dogs knew better than to shit where they ate.

"Palm trees and orange groves. You're serious, aren't you?" Gaara fixed his green eyes on his lifelong friend and regarded him thoughtfully as they turned right on the street that would take them to the nightclub.

"You really wanna stay in New York, Gaara?" He turned to look at his friend, noting how his stern eyes and set jaw didn't budge. Naruto couldn't read the redhead's face for clues, but he didn't have to. He knew Gaara would agree to go with him if Naruto really wanted him to. Just as Naruto knew he would stay if Gaara insisted.

They both quickened their steps and kept moving toward the bright neon lights of The Tokyo Palace.

"No. I don't wanna stay here." Gaara's voice lowered and Naruto knew he was thinking back to their old orphanage days. Saying Gaara's father ran a state funded orphanage was the lie the man fed the public. In truth, his father ran one of the slimiest child labor rackets in all of New York. Both Gaara and Naruto had escaped, but not before suffering enough abuse to keep them always choosing a dark, cold alley to sleep in rather than ever going back.

Gaara was already nineteen, but Naruto wouldn't be eighteen for a few more months. They had to do jobs here and there to survive but everything rested on them not getting busted and keeping their orphan status quiet. If Naruto got sent back, Gaara's father would be all to happy to throw the blue-eyed man a rounding welcome back party.

In New York, money was being made hand over fist these days. Some said the boom couldn't last much longer but most people didn't care. There were swindlers and moochers, counterfeiters and racketeers. All of them trying to elbow each other out for a piece of the pie. And sure, there were a lot of legitimate businesses in New York City, but most of them had politicians in their pockets and crooked cops on their payrolls. Gaara's father was no exception. He'd make sure Naruto was sent back to the orphanage rather than serve time Upstate. A prospect Naruto needed to avoid at all costs.

As dusk began to settle over New York, Naruto could faintly make out dinner being prepared in various apartment as the smells wafted through the open windows of the tenements as they passed. Drab grays and browns colored the apartments and clotheslines draped in between the buildings walkways from one set of windows to windows across the way. Kids were being shooed inside by their mothers and teenagers were scurrying out of tenement doors, as if trying to chase down the approaching nightfall.

Gaara remained quiet beside him. Not wanting to encourage those lonely, desperate memories, Naruto looked at Gaara and pushed his original question. "So whaddya say? California here we come? Once I'm eighteen, Shika said he could help snake my papers like he did for you, and we'd have a chance to start fresh. I mean, I know it seems like a long shot that we'll have better luck out west but at least we'd finally get away from all this- "

"Shit!" Gaara cut Naruto off, grabbing his arm and yanking him to a stop. Naruto had been looking at his friend and not ahead, missing the three Chinese goons that had quietly moved their way toward the street corner cutting off the direct path to Tokyo Palace. A flash of movement caught the corner of Naruto's eye and he turned to his left to see a fourth man, climb down from the last landing of a fire escape before jumping down and walking over to join the other three. The fourth had been their lookout, waiting and signaling to the others that Naruto and Gaara were headed their way. It was clear the hoods had planned the ambush.

Good thing Naruto and Gaara always planned ahead too.

"Bait n'hook. Go!" With wicked speed, Gaara broke into a mad dash back the way they had come. He was the faster sprinter so he would be the one to double back, hoping the goons would take the bait and think he chickened out, leaving the blond to fend for himself.

Naruto darted to the right, disappearing in between the two sets of the city block-long brownstones that were just a hair's breadth away from the large empty lot that bordered the nightclub. He could hear the heavy slaps of the footfalls behind him. The idiots took the bait, Naruto thought, and smirked as he beat a path down the narrow walkway leading toward the back alley.

It wasn't hard for Naruto to keep an easy lead on the street rats. He and Gaara made it routine to test out escape plans by racing each other home using only the alleyways so they would have to climb over dumpsters, swing from fire escapes, and scale brick walls and chain link fences to win. The loser had to scrounge up that night's dinner.

It was the best way to stay in shape while also maintaining constant awareness of any neighborhood changes. A moved trash bin or a recent junk dump could end up costing them precious seconds and when you're trying to run from getting your ass beat or worse, every second really was life or death.

The blond had to hand it to the Chinese gang. They definitely had some balls. They were one block away from Brooklyn and two blocks away from The Tokyo Palace. Risking a confrontation with the Uchiha for a little payback was brazen.

* * *

Three days ago, Gaara and Naruto had spotted the morons trying to unload an appliance truck in Hollis, deep in Chinese territory.

 _The two of them had ways of going relatively unnoticed in Queens. With the exception of Gaara's father, the other Japanese holdouts in the predominantly Chinese borough were more than willing to let the two hooligans leapfrog from one safe house to the next. Naruto always insisted on giving the small business owners a cut of whatever they boosted in the area and Gaara wholeheartedly agreed with this tactic. It meant taking home less, but New York was a hard place to live without friends. If you didn't take care of the friends you had, you had no business being in the racket to begin with._

 _On their way back from Teuchi's place where they were happily dropping off a cut of their prior days earnings, Naruto and Gaara had almost stumbled into the Chinese group of thieves._

 _The men were trying to unload an appliance truck one piece at a time from outside a warehouse in Hollis. Vacuum cleaners, washing machines and state of the art refrigerators, all slowly being moved like they knew they had all the time in the world to get the job done. What the morons hadn't worked out was that only a schmuck would use all their muscle to unload the goods while leaving the already laden getaway truck completely unguarded._

 _Gaara and Naruto had watched from a safe distance as all four of them lugged a standup icebox to their flatbed around the corner. Naruto and Gaara doubled back and came around the corner from the other side just in time to watch the men load up the icebox, cover it with a heavy burlap tarp, and then head back to the warehouse delivery truck to grab the next appliance._

 _Naruto's blue eyes flickered with amusement as he shot a knowing look at Gaara._

 _As Naruto and Gaara watched the four men disappear around the corner and back to the warehouse delivery truck, they did what any self-respecting criminal would have done. They boosted the Chinamen's truck._

* * *

They had each wore flat caps that day to cover their red and blond hair but it now seemed someone must have spotted them. Or ratted them out.

Naruto effortlessly picked up speed as he reached the alley and nimbly scaled the back wall. With help from the milk crates stacked up against it, he lifted himself over and dropped down on the other side. He bolted through the warehouse lot behind the tenement, and was just about round a tool shed and hook a sharp left so he could maintain a line toward the nightclub, when he heard the sound of his pursuers hitting the pavement behind him one by one. Apparently they too had made it over the brick wall. Naruto reached the shed and immediately cut a hard left.

On the far west end of the warehouse lot where Naruto was headed, a stack of pallets about three feet high, were laying flat on the ground next to a 7 foot concrete wall. On top of the pallets were about a dozen cinder blocks, haphazardly discarded by some long ago work crew. This was the spot.

Naruto headed straight for it, lept up onto the pallets and over the wall with athletic ease. And just like during their alleyway races, Naruto remembered to push off the wall as hard as he could to avoid the barbed wire and broken glass directly below.

He landed on his feet and somersaulted to help with the impact. He had had enough of a lead on the gang to get to his feet and reach into a nearby stack of dumped mildewed carpet that had been left to rot in the dead end alley. Inside one of the rolled up shagged rugs was a Louisville Slugger. A buck eighty-five well spent, Naruto casually thought as he pulled it out and twirled it in his hand, readying himself and waiting for the four idiots to jump the wall.

Three of the hoods had followed right over the wall one after the other without pause, landing straight onto the barbed wired and glass. Screaming and bleeding and unable to detangle themselves from the wire, Naruto was happy to reward them with a few hard hits to their backs and knees. Naruto wasn't interested in killing the guys but it was a hard life they all lived and restraint was a sign of weakness. And weakness made you a marked man.

The fourth thug had the good sense to pause for a split second before vaulting the wall. His rage flared when he looked down and saw his friends trying to frantically detangle themselves with gashed hands and legs, screaming like loons, down and bleeding at the blond man's feet.

" _Gan ni niang!_ " He screamed at Naruto as he scaled alongside the wall for a clear spot to jump. When he finally jumped down off the wall, Naruto faced him and leveled his bat at him. The man pulled out a balisong and whipped it open with fluid grace, lunging at Naruto.

Naruto had seen butterfly knives before and knew as long as he kept the man at a distance with his bat, he'd be alright. Just as the street hood attacked, Naruto swung his bat in a low golf swing motion aiming upward at his assailant's face.

Neither man got a chance to find out who had the better weapon. Seemingly out of nowhere, a cinder block came crashing down atop the Chinaman decidedly ending the battle. The man hit the floor and his friends began shouting at the now unconscious man in rapid Chinese as if somehow the sound of their voices would instantly revive him.

Naruto looked up at the wall they had all come over to see Gaara looking down at him. "Took ya long enough." Naruto smiled at the redhead.

Gaara reached out a hand to him and helped pull him up and back over the wall, leaving the downed men with no easy exit routes from the dead end alley Naruto had led them to. They'd have to follow it northward until it let out almost 3 blocks in the opposite direction of the nightclub.

The two men sprinted off into the dark and sailed over a few chain link fences until they finally came to the side door of The Tokyo Palace nightclub that was located on right of the hotel entrance.

Stopping to catch their breath under the bright neon signs, Naruto slapped a hand across Gaara's back and the redhead raised an un-amused brow at the boisterous gesture. "Told ya we'd make it." Naruto flashed a full grin that made Gaara let out an uncharacteristic low chuckle. Naruto couldn't help himself and quickly followed suit with raucous laughter.

The redhead moved away from the shadow of the club's side door toward the front walk near the main entrance of the hotel and Naruto followed him. They always kept a respectable distance from the front door when they loitered around the club. Sometimes they'd go through a whole pack of smokes, remarking on the who's who of Japanese society. Gaara and Naruto considered it a necessary education. Not only did the two of them never want to accidentally hit any of the Japanese syndicates in New York, but they also wanted to steer clear of any Uchiha business associates.

The Uchiha had several Chinese partners on the border of Chinatown and the Lower East Side in Manhattan and the two men had no desire to cross paths with them.

It made sense for the Uchiha Clan to make nice with a few of the Chinese organizations. After all, the Chinese population exceeded the Japanese population due most in part to the Asian Exclusion Act of 1924. Chinese were included in the ban but thousands more Chinese than Japanese had already immigrated to the U.S. by then, so in the end it was the Japanese who were left outnumbered. The Chinese also had a stronger foothold at the docks than the Japanese did and everyone knew that having access to the freights coming in overseas was the linchpin of the Uchiha's success in New York City.

"Orange groves and palm trees?" Gaara said without looking up from the two cigs he was lighting before passing one to Naruto.

"In four months I turn eighteen. You know Shika will get it done and you and I could be outta here." Naruto looked out into the neighborhood, now dark and slowly coming to life. Some of the people now roaming the streets were experienced operators like themselves, while others simply had the money and power to move freely in the rough borough after dark without fear. Naruto took a slow drag of his cigarette and silently wondered if he'd ever get a chance to live without having to always look over his shoulder.

Gaara looked him over with critical eyes. He knew Naruto was tough. His friend had never backed down from a fight or cried off, even when outnumbered. But Gaara also knew Naruto had never been comfortable with the violence of the streets. Most people were thrown by the fierce aggression hidden behind the blue-eyed man with the kind face. Quite a few adversaries had underestimated Naruto and suffered the consequences. Still, Gaara knew that the man's soft disarming charm and buoyant smile were his preferred natural state. He knew Naruto longed to live a more peaceful life. And Gaara would do anything to make sure his best friend had a chance at one.

"I go where you go." Gaara's eyes moved away from Naruto's face and scanned the dark corners of the streets out of habit. He didn't have to meet Naruto's gaze to know those blue eyes were now fixed on him.

"And I go where you go." Naruto looked at the redhead. He'd never had a brother. And though they weren't blood related, Gaara was his family. Naruto thought back to when they were kids at the orphanage and shuddered. The memories were painful but if it hadn't been for Gaara, things would've been much worse for the blue-eyed blond. Those were hard memories to swallow. They hadn't come out of it completely unscathed but they had made it out together and Naruto was grateful for that much.

The two men were barely finishing their first smoke when a familiar Mercedes 680s pulled up to the curb where they were standing. Gaara and Naruto didn't have to guess, they knew the owner of the sweet ride was none other than Uchiha Sasuke. He would always arrive at The Palace early to oversee the opening of the club every night.

At the sight of the car slowing as it neared them, Naruto's heart skipped a beat. He backed away from the curb and moved a bit farther down the street to give the man a respectful berth to park his shiny roadster. Gaara followed his friend's lead.

Naruto had seen the dark haired man many times over the past year and had actually met him roughly two weeks ago. Sasuke had taken over the nightclub after his older brother was killed in a mob hit last year. A shadow crossed Naruto's face at the memory of Itachi's death. Though he had never met the man, he remembered the man's sharp features and sublime beauty. The first time Naruto had ever laid eyes on the strikingly beautiful older brother, was two years ago as he and Gaara stood out in front of the nightclub.

Uchiha Itachi's driver had pulled his Rolls Royce up to the front of the club and parked. Itachi hadn't waited to be let out and with smooth grace, stepped out of his car and headed toward the side entrance. He had had a regal quality that seemed to radiate authority. Yet, as he passed the two men that day and his cold calculating eyes had settled on Naruto, the blond could have sworn he had seen a flash of kind regard in them.

His brother Sasuke was a whole other ballgame. While his older brother seemed untouchable and sublime, the arrogance that permeated off of the younger Uchiha was thick enough to pull at Naruto's innate desire to bring the bastard down a peg or two.

* * *

About two weeks back, Naruto had been hanging around the front entrance of the hotel waiting for Gaara when he had his first encounter with Uchiha Sasuke.

 _It was a steamy Sunday afternoon and Naruto had been surprised to see Sasuke pull up to the hotel. Maybe it was the hot day or his irritation at Gaara's tardiness, but Naruto hadn't felt like moving an inch out of the way for Sasuke's over-priced cream colored automobile. He had simply stood his ground and shot the car an irritated look._

 _He was still smoking his cigarette when Sasuke had climbed out of his car and narrowed his black eyes directly at Naruto._

 _Naruto's annoyance was suddenly stilled as he felt his pulse quicken at sight of Uchiha Sasuke up close and in the bright burning light of the hot afternoon. He had only had brief glimpses of the man before today. From a distance he had been able to gleen his similar resemblance to Itachi, but now he was able to see just how much he not only looked like his brother, but how breathtakingly handsome the man truly was._

 _He didn't understand why his eyes were drawn to the man's pale sharp cheekbones and rich dark hair. Before he could stop himself, his eyes had begun to roam freely over the Uchiha's frame, drinking in the sight of the perfect man in front of him. His lean figure. His stunning good looks and deep dark eyes._

 _Probably due to the weather, Sasuke hadn't been wearing a jacket that day. He had stepped out in a thin cotton button up dress shirt and tailored pinstriped slacks. A double-breasted pinstriped vest covered his torso and a blood red tie was fixed tightly around his neck. Being only a few feet away had allowed Naruto to catch the sight of Sasuke's muscled shoulders shifting softly underneath the thin cotton shirt._

 _Naruto couldn't make sense of his emotions. He had never looked at a woman with such heated lust. He had to admit that it unnerved him a bit to be looking at a man with such intensity. Especially a dangerous man like Uchiha Sasuke._

 _As soon as he remembered himself, Naruto looked up to find Sasuke regarding him with a gleam in his dark eyes and a smug grin on his face._

 _Naruto's heart skipped and he silently rebuked himself for it. A flash of annoyance spiked through him at the sight Sasuke's smug look. He didn't like giving the bastard the satisfaction of seeing his obvious interest._

' _And why am I even interested?' Naruto's irritation rose at his sudden weakness and he blamed Gaara and the miserable weather for his slip up._

 _He obstinately held the Uchiha's gaze and then widened his eyes in surprise as the elegant man in turn allowed his gaze to slowly lower and trace the blond's fit, lean body without the slightest bit of hesitancy or shame._

 _Naruto had worn a white muscle shirt with his brown corduroys due to the unbearable weather. His tan skin was already sheened with sweat from the noon heat and beads of moisture had begun to fall from his well-defined arms. The muscle shirt had seemed like a good idea when he put it on that morning, but now under the intense scrutiny of Sasuke's eyes, he suddenly felt exposed._

 _When Sasuke had finally looked back up to catch the blond's eyes, a slight flush warmed Naruto's cheeks despite the sweltering heat._

 _It was all Naruto could do to keep from bolting. Yet he held his ground and locked his blue eyes onto the beautiful man's dark piercing orbs. Sasuke walked toward him._

"The club isn't open on Sunday," _Sasuke said to him in Japanese. His deep velvet voice sent chills straight down Naruto's back, prickling at his skin._

"Wouldn't waste my time even if it was." _Naruto answered back in flawless Japanese, causing the Uchiha to raise his eyebrows in slight surprise at the blond's impeccable use of the language and then quickly narrow his eyes at the obvious insult._

"Then why are you always hanging around at the club?" _Sasuke tilted his head, waiting for a reply._

 _Naruto shrugged his shoulders and took another drag from his cigarette. He didn't trust himself with words at the moment. Telling the Uchiha to shove it seemed like a ridiculously moronic move but hell if Naruto wasn't tempted._

"Uzumaki Naruto." _Sasuke's eyes gleamed with delight at Naruto's sudden shock at hearing the Uchiha use his full name._

 _How does he know my name? Naruto's mind raced._

"A blond-haired, blue-eyed Japanese street hood can hardly go unnoticed around here." _Sasuke dropped his gaze and spoke with an almost bored tone as adjusted his cufflinks._

"I didn't know Uchiha Sasuke bothered himself with affairs of us common folk." _Naruto shot the man a bold glare. "_ Better hurry inside before someone sees you talking to me."

 _He had no idea what he was doing. Mouthing off to an Uchiha? But he just couldn't help himself. That smug look. Those dark eyes. Naruto felt helpless. The need to rile the man up was all-consuming._

"I was going to say the same thing to you." _Sasuke took a step closer to Naruto and hardened his eyes at the blond. Daring him._

 _Naruto didn't budge. He breathed in Sasuke's scent and felt his groin respond almost immediately. Something in his eyes must have given him away because Sasuke let out a barely audible short chuckle._

"Bastard." _All thoughts of how dangerous it was to insult someone from the Uchiha Clan fled Naruto's mind. He knew Sasuke was messing with him and deliberately trying to rattle him. The man's ego had no boundaries. Naruto felt his breath quicken. He had no idea if it was because of the closeness of Sasuke or the flash of his temper at being played._

 _But Sasuke simply regarded the man, nodding his head at the insult and smirking at him as they both stood under the hot noontime sun. "Hn." Sasuke settled his gaze on Naruto's tan glistening biceps then back up to his eyes. Without another word he abruptly turned and walked into the hotel without looking back._

* * *

Naruto hadn't known what had possessed him that day to say something so haughty and defiant to the powerful man. He never told Gaara about the encounter out of fear his best friend would kick his ass for doing something so stupid as smart mouthing a fucking crime boss.

But here he was at it again. Feeling that same urge to get another look at Sasuke and provoke that damn smug look the bastard had given him that day.

Gaara dropped his cigarette butt on the sidewalk and ground the last of it out with his boot, as the Benz parked along the curb. Had he been looking up, he would have caught Naruto staring intently at driver's side of the 1928 roadster.

Uchiha Sasuke stepped out of his luxury car and into the cool Brooklyn evening. Dressed to the nines in a high end tailored black and white tuxedo, the nightclub proprietor turned to face Gaara and Naruto and began to walk toward them.

Naruto tried desperately to stop his heart from racing at the sight of the ivory skinned man, but it was useless. He marveled at how Sasuke's black tuxedo jacket gently hugged his broad shoulders and then tapered down to his waist just barely exposing the white vest underneath. He caught a small flash of gold from Sasuke's pocket watch chain and noted how his black silk bow tie and matching silk lapels seemed to shine with the same light that shone from Sasuke's onyx eyes. The man was alluring.

Gaara looked up and was surprised to see the Uchiha walking toward them. He shot Naruto a look and was surprised to see Naruto's eyes locked on the nightclub owner without a shred of shock on his friend's face. It was as if Naruto had been expecting the approach.

Naruto tore his eyes away from Sasuke to quickly glance at Gaara and give him a stupid look of 'what?' Gaara rolled his eyes and shot his best friend a glare that said they would be talking about this later.

When Naruto looked back at the approaching man, he saw Sasuke's eyes dancing with smug regard as he locked his gaze on Naruto.

" _I thought you weren't interested in wasting your time."_ Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the blond and waited for a response.

There was barely a flicker in Gaara's eyes at the sounds of the familiar Japanese but he didn't react any further to the fact that the two men had obviously met before.

" _We were just passing by and stopped to have a smoke. We were about to leave."_ Naruto didn't want to leave but there was something about Sasuke that made him want to either try to get closer to the man or turn and run the other way. The Uchiha made his blood run hot and Naruto wasn't sure if he was willing to give in to this new emotion yet, if at all.

"Hn." Sasuke turned his gaze away from Naruto and glanced at Gaara. The redhead gave him a nod hello. " _Uchiha Sasuke. And you are?"_ The dark eyes narrowed ever so slightly as we waited for a response.

" _Gaara. Nice to finally meet you Uchiha-san."_ Gaara wasn't sure yet what was happening but he wasn't taking any chances. He followed the Uchiha's lead and answered formally in Japanese.

Sasuke nodded back and then turned his attention back to Naruto, taking a step closer to him. " _Interested in wasting some time tonight?"_

Naruto's stomach flipped and he had to remind himself to breathe. He forced his brain to kick in and not get lost in the deep tenor of Sasuke's voice. " _I doubt we'd fit in with your high class clientele."_ Naruto gestured to his and Gaara's choice of fashion. The blond was wearing tan corduroys with black suspenders and a dingy, white long-sleeve fitted cotton shirt.

He doubted the Uchiha could make out the difference between which stains were blood and which were the usual grime and filth from the streets, but he hoped he could. Gaara had on pretty much the same, right down to the blood and dirt, except that his cords were grey.

Naruto smirked at Sasuke, letting him know that he knew it wasn't a serious invitation but only another pathetic attempt at trying to rattle him. Trying and one-up the Uchiha, was a stupid move, but he wasn't about to back down no matter how uncomfortable the handsome man made him.

Sasuke noted Naruto's use of the word " _we"_ , then looked to Gaara's attire and back again to Naruto's choice of clothing. " _I can fix that."_ Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the blond, letting him know the challenge was accepted and he was upping the ante.

The smooth grace at which Sasuke had turned and begun to walk toward the club had Naruto's head spinning. When the dark-haired man abruptly stopped and turned back to the two men, Naruto thought, this is it, I'm officially losing my mind. And what the hell was this feeling in the pit of his stomach?

" _You two coming?"_ Sasuke waited to see what the two street hoods would do.

Gaara looked at Naruto but the blond simply shrugged his shoulders at him.

Gaara wasn't stupid. He had picked up on the sexual tension between the two almost immediately. The Uchiha was interested in Naruto. But what he wasn't sure of, was whether or not Naruto had a full grasp of what Sasuke was up to. Naruto was no innocent but Gaara was pretty sure his friend had never even considered men in the same way he had women. He had felt Naruto's instant reaction to Sasuke. Hell, anyone could have felt it had they been standing within 10 feet of the two men.

Still, not being entirely trusting enough to leave his friend to figure it out on his own and a bit concerned at involving themselves with the Uchiha Clan in such a way, Gaara ultimately decided to follow Naruto's lead on this one. "I go where you go."

Naruto flashed a lopsided grin at his best friend and turned to follow Sasuke. Gaara followed his lead.

Unlocking the side entrance to the nightclub, Uchiha Sasuke led the two criminals out of the darkened streets of the rough Brooklyn neighborhood, and into the prodigal world of Japanese elite.

* * *

Sasuke was pretty sure the redhead already knew what level of interest he had in Naruto but he wasn't so sure just how much Naruto was aware of.

It amused him to no end how bold the boy had been when they had first met. It was just as obvious then as it was now that they were both attracted to each other. However, Naruto's face was still clearly showing confusion. Sasuke could see the simmering lust playing on the surface of the man's face but it was Naruto's quiet apprehension that ate at Sasuke's curiosity.

As he led the two men through the back of the nightclub, it was clear to Sasuke that Naruto was inexperienced. He figured Naruto had probably been with women before but he was positive the young man had never taken a male lover. Sasuke had read it all in Naruto's expressive eyes. The petty thief now following him to his private suite inside the club had a terrible poker face.

"I have what you need in here." It was clear Sasuke preferred Japanese to the English street slang the two friends were used to. Sasuke unlocked the door and entered the suite first, holding the door open for them to follow. He motioned them to come inside and closed the door behind them.

Sasuke's private suite was elegant and refined. Gaara and Naruto exchanged a glance and quickly pulled off their dirty boots, falling effortlessly back into the well-mannered behavior that had been beaten into them at the orphanage.

The suite held two identical red velvet couches in the front sitting room. They faced each other, separated only by a dark wood coffee table, topped with a large crystal whiskey decanter and several matching glasses. Farther back were two doors. The one on the far right led to a washroom while the one on the left was wide open, exposing the large walk-in closet within.

To the immediate right of the couches was a stunning, large standing room divider. At least seven feet high and twice as long, the mahogany divider was carved with opulent Japanese characters and designs, and what looked like small round-ended fans that Gaara recognized as the Uchiha Clan's emblem.

The heavy wooden divider had been carved straight through in some areas, allowing the large bed on the other side of it to be somewhat seen from the sitting room. From what Naruto could make out, the bed was draped in blood red satin sheets with two dark wood nightstands bookending the over-sized bed. He thought he caught a glimpse of red silk drapes hanging above the bed and wondered briefly about the mobster's need for such opulence.

Sasuke walked to the dark wood end table at the end of the couch on the left and reached for the phone that was there. "Yes, bring two extra sets of towels to my suite." He glanced over at the two men looking back at him. "Make sure to bring a laundry bag and inform Juugo to bring me the new Ferragamo shipment."

He hung up the phone and gestured for the men to follow him to the walk-in closet. "This way."

Looking back to them, Sasuke watched the redhead nod to his friend to take the lead and then caught the blond's gaze with his own as Naruto led his friend to where Sasuke was waiting.

The questions and nervousness written on Naruto's face were easily readable by Sasuke's skilled eyes but Sasuke gave nothing away. He steeled his composure while silently allowing himself to enjoy the sight of the hardened criminal sauntering toward him.

The blond intrigued Sasuke since their first meeting. And it wasn't just his physical attributes. Although he had to concede to the fact that Naruto's build had on more than one occasion caused a low heat to settle in his groin whenever he spotted the hood hanging around the club's entrance.

It was Naruto's complete lack of artifice. The way he brazenly sassed him the day they met and the way he had innocently regarded Sasuke's body without even being aware that his open face and expressive eyes were betraying his innermost thoughts.

"You'll be able to find something that should fit on the rack to left. The sizes are all listed." Sasuke motioned to the closet and left them to look through the suits as he walked back to the sitting area.

There was a knock at the door of the suite and Sasuke opened it, letting in an elderly Japanese woman who was carrying the towels and laundry bag he had asked for.

The woman carried the items directly to the washroom and came back empty-handed to where Sasuke was waiting. Without looking up, she bowed slightly to the stoic man and took her leave.

Just then, a wall of a man with bright red hair entered the suite, pushing a shelved cart in front of him. He nodded to Sasuke and parked the cart just outside the walk-in closet and then turned and left back the way he came.

Sasuke closed the door behind him and went back to check on how the two men were faring with the suit rack.

Naruto and Gaara turned toward his approach. Sasuke let a small smile play on his lips at the sight of Naruto's confused look and Gaara's suspicious glare.

"You can shower in the washroom and leave the clothes you're wearing in the laundry bag. I'll make sure to have them returned to you before you leave… if you like." Sasuke's tone slightly teasing at the fact that the men would still want their street clothes after having wore the fashions he would be providing them with this evening.

Naruto had just about enough of Sasuke's arrogant mocking. "Look, I don't know what you're trying to p... "

" _Arigato_ , Uchiha-san." Gaara cut in. The redhead's composure may have remained stern while he regarded Sasuke's remark, but he was not fooled by it. If the Uchiha wanted to play sugar daddy with Naruto and let Gaara come along for the ride, it was fine by him. As long as Gaara was able to keep a lookout for his friend who was at the moment being uncharacteristically distracted, he'd play along.

"Sasuke."

Gaara and Naruto looked at the dignified Uchiha standing in front of them. They noted how his bravado immediately left his eyes when he requested they drop the formalities and use his given name. Both men nodded in return.

" _Arigato_ … Sasuke." Naruto locked his eyes onto Sasuke.

"I'll leave you to it then." Sasuke turned and without looking back he headed toward the door leading back to nightclub. "The rack outside the closet door contains shoes that might please you. I have a few things to attend to but will return shortly," Sasuke said flatly and closed the door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2: The Tokyo Palace

**Summary:** It's 1928, a year before the crash on Wall Street. Naruto and his best friend Gaara try to survive the dangerous streets of New York. The Uchiha Clan has set up their crime syndicate in Brooklyn  & battle it out with other Japanese Clans for control. Naruto is faced with coming to terms with his feelings for Sasuke. Should he stay or leave New York with Gaara for California?

 **Warning** : There will be **HARD YAOI** in this. **Everything from rough sex to some BDSM, masturbation and the like will be featured at some point in this story. I also enjoy cursing a lot in real life so there will be cursing here and there.**

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own Naruto and make zilch off of this. I just do it for the pleasure.

 **Author's Note** \- So first things first... I love you Kishi! You gave us some wonderful characters to play with but... you have a REALLY hard time when it comes to writing girls. SO! There's going to be some OOC going on when it comes to my female characters. You get a taste of it in this chapter and then more later on. **I'm writing them how I want.** And that's all there is to it.

Also, as an ENORMOUS lover of music, I feel I reserve the right to place references to ANY song from ANY era into my story. The night club is a main part of this story and there will be music! Just not much of that boring monotonous 1920s dribble. So if you love music like I do, enjoy the stroll down the musical lane. Music from the 1940s-2015 will be found throughout the story beginning with this chapter.

And **MUCH LOVE** to my **AMAZING** beta **KizuKatana!** Thanks for all your help, luv! I couldn't do this without you!

* * *

" _Sasuke."_

 _Gaara and Naruto looked at the dignified Uchiha standing in front of them. They noted how his bravado immediately left his eyes when he requested they drop the formalities and use his given name. Both men nodded in return._

 _"Arigato… Sasuke." Naruto locked his eyes onto Sasuke._

 _"I'll leave you to it then." Sasuke turned and without looking back he headed toward the door leading back to nightclub. "The rack outside the closet door contains shoes that might please you. I have a few things to attend to but will return shortly," Sasuke said flatly and closed the door behind him._

* * *

Chapter 2: The Tokyo Palace

* * *

"What the fuck, Naru!" As soon as the door shut behind Sasuke, Gaara turned on his best friend. "Just what the hell is going on?" His fiery green eyes flared at Naruto as he waited for answer.

Naruto didn't want to meet Gaara's eyes. He knew his friend was pissed but Naruto wasn't up to going ten rounds with the redhead. He had his own issues to deal with at the moment. Starting with his evident attraction to Uchiha Sasuke. Where the hell had that come from? And why the hell did it terrify him and at the same time pull at him with such intensity?

The blond was stalling. Gaara knew it. And he knew why. "Look, Naru, I get it. I know what's going on but why didn't you tell me?" The redhead stood silently, hoping his words would prod Naruto to speak.

Naruto let out a sigh and faced his friend. "I met him about two weeks ago and well… " Naruto didn't know how to finish. What was he supposed to say? Tell his best friend that as soon as he laid eyes on Uchiha Sasuke he felt the inexplicable urge to grab the man and kiss him? How could he say that out loud when he didn't even know where those feelings had even come from?

"And?"

"And we sort of… talked." Naruto's hand went to the back of his head, scrubbing his hair as he usually did whenever he became anxious.

"Talked? Naru, the guy is practically undressing you with his eyes and you're telling me you two just talked? And, the guy is Uchiha Sasuke! Do you know what the hell you're doing?" Gaara took a deep breath and tried to bring his temper down a bit. "Why didn't you tell me?"

There it was. Naruto looked directly at Gaara and his eyes softened a bit. "I know I should've said something, Gaara and I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to… look, I don't really understand what this is! I'm... confused. I don't know, Gaara. What do you think I should do?"

Gaara looked at his friend trying to come to terms with all his conflicted emotions at once. He knew Naruto hadn't intended to keep secrets from him. Naruto was just embarrassed by his new found sexuality. It almost made him sad for his friend. To find out he was attracted to men was one hell of shock he had to deal with. Then finding out he was attracted to a member of one of the most dangerous crime families in New York City? Well, Gaara understood if the blond was having a bit a breakdown with all these sudden revelations. And, even though his new discoveries could end up costing the both of them more than a few problems in the future, damn if he was going to make his friend feel even worse about the situation. Whatever the hell this situation was.

"Play along." Gaara's eyes hardened as he met Naruto's questioning look. "After all if he's willing to foot the bill… "

"You think we could trust him?" Naruto's voice betrayed him. Gaara could hear in it that it didn't matter at this point whether or not the two of them could trust the Uchiha. Naruto was in.

"I don't trust anyone." Gaara said flatly. "Except for you."

Naruto nodded and smiled at his best friend.

Naruto knew that he was quite possibly walking directly into danger by involving himself with the Uchiha. He and Gaara had each other's back no matter what but he couldn't say the same for Sasuke. How much would this strange attraction blind him? It had never happened to him before, and it made him slightly nervous. But both he and Gaara were going into this with their eyes open. Naruto felt a surge of relief with Gaara by his side, he knew he wouldn't let him fuck up too badly and would gladly kick his ass before he let that happen.

"But, Naru… are you sure you're up for this? I mean, you don't have to tell me how you feel about Sasuke. I get it. But you do know what you're doing, right?"

Naruto's blue eyes burned for a split second at Gaara's words when he let his mind go to exactly what he thought Sasuke's intentions were. He quickly quelled the look but not before Gaara saw it for what it was.

"Ok." Gaara looked down at the suit that Naruto had pulled from the rack and back up to Naruto. "Go on. You take the first shower and get cleaned up."

Naruto gave his friend a nervous grin and turned to leave the closet. Gaara watched him go and then turned back riffling through the clothes rack again. "Shit." He muttered to no one. This was turning out to be one hell of a night.

* * *

"I want Ino for my table tonight. Make sure she understands that my guests are to want for nothing this evening." Sasuke didn't look up from his reservation book as he spoke to Juugo. "Also, have the laundry come and grab the bag from my washroom and make sure they know I want it done before the end of the night."

"Yes, Sasuke." Juugo turned to go inform Ino and the laundry, leaving Sasuke alone at the front office.

He heard Juugo leave and allowed himself to finally think about what was going on in his private suite right now. What had possessed him to bring the two street rats to his club and shine them up for his own amusement? The various lovers he usually sought entertainment from had always presented themselves through his numerous admirers that would on occasion show up at the club. Given the times they lived in, most had been just as willing if not downright insistent that their brief affair remain quiet. So Sasuke had never seen a reason to look outside his own social circle.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

It was that damn blond. The way he had tried to call his bluff when they had spoken out on the street. The way he flashed those pretty blues at him in defiance on the day they met. If the man had any fear of Sasuke, he was determined to not let it show. Throughout his life, men and women had always bowed in fear and acquiesced to his every command. Only Itachi had been able match Sasuke's demanding character. Quietly placating him, only to somehow turn things around on Sasuke until he found himself doing exactly what his brother had wanted anyway. It had been infuriating. But it had been the way his brother was. Brilliantly cunning, but with a kindness at his core that Sasuke had witnessed several times in his youth and now so desperately missed.

Sasuke immediately pushed those thoughts down. He didn't want to think about his brother tonight. He wanted to be distracted by the blond showering in his suite. He would be changing into the his new clothes by now. Fixing his tie. Running his fingers through those soft golden locks.

"Fuck." Sasuke realized he had miscounted the till and had to start again.

He tried to lie to himself that he was hurrying to get back to the suite to make sure the two thieves weren't lifting anything from his private room but he knew better. The two men would never be so stupid.

Just then, Ino appeared at the door of the office. "Did you want to set the menu for your table tonight, Sasuke?"

Sasuke finished counting the till and began to check the weapon stashed under the desk. "Set the menu for steaks tonight." He pulled the tommy gun from underneath the desk and began checking the magazine. "I also want sake at the table instead of Dom."

"Yes, Sasuke." Ino watched her boss's long slender fingers, nimbly fly over the gun checking each working part. It made her shiver to see the way his black eyes darkened, if that was even possible, as he emptied the chamber and pulled out the magazine so he could pull the trigger, checking for any tension in it that might delay firing. But so was the nature of her job. "Anything else, Sasuke?"

"No." He didn't have to look up to know Ino had bowed respectfully before she left to let the kitchen know about the menu change and get the table ready for him and his guests.

Once the tommy gun was back under office desk, he walked over to where the two revolvers near the box office window were kept. He repeated his inspection and placed them back near window. Reaching for the phone that was sitting on the desk, he called the hotel front desk. "Let Tenten know the front office is ready." He hung up the phone, locked the office door behind him and headed back to his private room to check on how the two hoods were coming along.

His lips slighting twitching at the thought of the blond all dolled up, just for him.

* * *

The high collar of Naruto's dress shirt was tugging a bit at his neck. He briefly wondered if he should look for a larger size shirt. He had never worn a suit before and wasn't quite sure just how snug the neck should be.

"Having trouble?" Naruto spun around at the sound of Sasuke's voice. He hadn't heard the door open.

"A little." Naruto gave the dark-eyed man a lopsided grin and tugged again at his collar. Sasuke smirked and walked to him.

"I can fix that." Sasuke walked past him and headed to the closet. Naruto took off his black jacket, slung it over one of the couches and followed Sasuke.

The sight of the blond in the dark tailored suit had sent a lustful desire through Sasuke. He had had a feeling that the man would clean up nice but he really hadn't expected this. The black suit he had picked for himself seemed to light the boy's blue eyes with a fire. When Naruto had given Sasuke that half grin, he had to fight the urge to drag Naruto straight to his bed by the very collar he saw him tugging at.

Not wanting the blond to see him rattled he turned his attention to the clothes rack in his closet and began to sift through the dress shirts. "Here try this one." He took a white shirt from the rack and looked at Naruto. "You'll need to take off the one you're wearing."

Sasuke's brow twitched at the dare he shot at Naruto. He could see all of Naruto's thoughts flash, one by one, in response to his words. Shock. Nervousness. Lust. All playing about his face until he saw the flash of the fearlessness that Sasuke had been waiting for.

Slowly Naruto began to unbutton his shirt. Sasuke kept his eyes locked on the boy and just as he expected, the blue eyes burned back at him in defiance. And lust.

When Naruto reached down to the last button and began to pull open the shirt, Sasuke dropped his eyes to the blond's tan chest. His pulse peaked at the sight of the hard contours of Naruto's muscled torso. As Naruto slid the shirt completely off his broad shoulders and handed it to him, Sasuke let his eyes wander over each pectoral, each bicep, deliberately taking his time to appreciate Naruto's firm physique. When he looked back up at Naruto he saw a reddened flush settling in his cheeks.

But it was the hunger he saw in the man's eyes that caused Sasuke's eyes to narrow. There was no doubt in the Uchiha's mind now.

He hung the discarded shirt lazily over the rack and held open the one he had picked out for him, offering his assistance to help Naruto put it on.

Naruto hesitated and then turned to slide one arm in and then the other. Sasuke pulled the shirt up at his neck and shoulders and then placed his hands on Naruto's biceps to turn him around.

The air stilled as the two men faced each other. Naruto's eyes darkened as they took in the unyielding gaze of the Uchiha. Taking a step closer, Sasuke started at the collar. With each button he let his fingers lightly sweep inside the shirt and along Naruto's tan flesh. Naruto shuddered at the touch and Sasuke could hear the man's breath hitch with each graze of his fingers. Lower and lower, one button at a time, teasing the hot skin beneath the shirt just enough to keep Naruto's body responding to his every caress. Sasuke watched as Naruto's eyes closed, and he reveled in his ability to make the blond react in such a way. He didn't have to look down to know Naruto was already hard from Sasuke's teasing.

"How's that?" Naruto's eyes shot open at the sound of Sasuke's voice. The smug look on the mobster's face was all he needed to bring himself fully back to reality.

"Bastard." The curse came out breathier than Naruto had wanted and again he silently scolded himself for letting the man rattle him.

Sasuke gave a low chuckle at the street hood's continued attempt to taunt him with his insolent words and turned turned to leave the closet. "Let's get your jacket and tie."

Naruto found himself standing alone wondering, just what the hell was happening to him. After a few seconds of trying to compose himself, Naruto exited the closet at the same time Gaara was coming out of the washroom.

Gaara took one look at Naruto's flushed face and shot a glance at the Uchiha. The smug look on the gangster's face told him all he needed to know.

* * *

After schooling the two men on the basics of how to properly tie a necktie, Sasuke motioned for them all to have a seat on the velvet couches. Naruto and Gaara sat next to each other and Sasuke took a spot on the couch across from them.

Not looking up, he poured each of them a drink from the crystal decanter. "Tonight you both are my personal guests. Dinner, drinks, everything is courtesy of the club. If you care to keep them, the clothes you are wearing are yours."

All ego had left Sasuke's face as he handed them each a glass of the whiskey; first to the redhead and then the other to the blond, each of them nodding a thank you to Sasuke for the whiskey and for the generous hospitality.

Naruto and Gaara were no strangers to booze. After taking the glass offered to them they waited for Sasuke.

The Uchiha lifted his glass to the two men. "To wasting time." A glint reached Sasuke's dark eyes as he lifted his brow at the two polished street hoods in front of him.

The best friends exchanged a quick glance, raised their glasses in return and drank to Uchiha Sasuke's toast.

A knock at the door drew their attention. "Come." Sasuke set his glass down and stood up as the door opened. It was the same man they had seen earlier bring in the rack of shoes. "Good, Juugo." Sasuke's eyes went to directly to Gaara. "This is Juugo. He's going to give you a tour of the club and show you to my table. The girls should be setting up just about now." He dropped his gaze to adjust his cufflinks with his usual indifferent attitude. "I'm sure you'll find them entertaining."

Naruto turned to Gaara and could see his friend chewing on Sasuke's words. He wasn't sure he wanted to be alone with the Uchiha but he also wasn't sure if Gaara would let him. He knew Gaara was still suspicious of this whole thing and the two of them hadn't discussed any plan for if they got separated tonight.

"I will have Naruto join you shortly." And with that, Sasuke turned to where Juugo was waiting at the door. He didn't wait for a response from the redhead. He knew those green eyes were fixed on him and whether deserved or not, he didn't care for the distrust he saw in them.

Making up his mind, Gaara rose from the couch and buttoned his jacket. Turning to look at Naruto who was getting up from the couch as well, he leaned in close so only Naruto could catch the words. "I'll be nearby."

Juugo and Gaara nodded to each other and stepped out the suite door. Sasuke closed the door behind them and turned to face Naruto.

Casually taking off his tux jacket and draping it over the velvet couch, Sasuke walked to where Naruto was standing and met the blond man's blue gaze.

Naruto suddenly found his mouth dry as he locked eyes with the Uchiha. He tried to swallow hard but it only made things worse as he watched Sasuke drop his gaze to his neck, following the motion of the muscles there. Naruto watched Sasuke lick his lower lip and take a seat on the couch across from Naruto. With a touch of apprehension, Naruto sat back down.

Pouring them each another drink, Sasuke handed a glass to Naruto. "Tell me, Naruto, why did you agree to come with me tonight?" Sasuke took a sip of the whiskey and tilted his head slightly; his sharp black eyes glued on the blond's horrible poker face.

Choking slightly on his drink, Naruto let out a cough and looked up to see a lazy smirk regarding him. Trying to get his voice to work, Naruto considered the question. Inspecting his drink for some kind of answer, he briefly wondered what angle Sasuke was playing at.

"I'm not really sure." Naruto answered truthfully. He looked up to see Sasuke's smirk soften a bit. "If I were to be completely honest," looking again at his drink and taking a gulp, "I have no idea what this is or just how to make sense of it all."

Sasuke finished his drink and set it down on the table. "I think you know exactly what this is." He took a deep breath and stood.

Naruto held his own breath as he watched Sasuke walk around the table between them and sit down next to him. The grace of the Uchiha's movements captivated Naruto and he let out a shaky sigh when he felt Sasuke's hand touch his thigh and gently pull him. Naruto set his drink down and faced Sasuke. Just like before, Naruto found himself lost in the arrogance and desire of the dark eyes looking back at him.

Naruto didn't know what to make of the look. The ego he could understand. _I mean, God, look at the man._ But the desire was almost embarrassing. How could this beautiful man be looking at Naruto in this way? He took a deep breath and Sasuke filled his senses. His hand on his thigh. His cologne. His breath. The very being of the Uchiha filled him with the strangest desires and Naruto had to ask himself yet again, why was this man so alluring? What was it about Uchiha Sasuke that made him question everything he thought he knew about himself?

Sasuke leaned into Naruto. His lips just lightly playing on Naruto's. "Do you want me to stop?" The breath of Sasuke's words warmed Naruto's lips and sent a spike of current through him. Allowing himself to fully take in Sasuke's scent, he closed his eyes to the feeling of Sasuke's warm lips and strong presence, trying desperately to get his brain to work. He didn't know what he wanted anymore. The part of his brain that was earlier telling him to run, was now being overrun by the urge to grab the man and kiss him hard before his brain kicked in and reality came seeping back in.

The sound of Sasuke's low laughter quickly brought him back to his senses.

Naruto's eyes widened at the sound. The mocking arrogance he saw in Sasuke's face made his rage fly. "Bastard." Naruto growled and grabbed Sasuke's hand from his leg and in one swift move, pinned it behind Sasuke's back. The Uchiha was fucking with him and Naruto knew it. If he wanted to play games with Naruto, then Naruto would give him one.

Pressing against him, Naruto moved his whole body in closer, tighter, letting his weight push Sasuke harder against the velvet couch. Black eyes bore into his but this time it was Naruto's turn to smirk back. He was done letting Sasuke have his way. Lowering his mouth to Sasuke's, he nipped harshly on the lower pink lip, causing Sasuke to immediately arch up as low moan escaped from his throat.

Dropping his head lower he let his lips tease the Uchiha's neck. "Is this what you want, Sasuke?" Naruto's words vibrated against the sleek ivory neck and he could feel Sasuke's hard erection twitch against his leg in response. His wanted to kiss the man. He wanted to make Sasuke moan again. Yet, still Naruto hesitated as doubts swam through his mind.

Sasuke shoved him back hard and pinned Naruto's shoulders down onto the red couch. With blazing eyes staring up at him, Sasuke held him there, and slowly lowered himself over the polished street hood.

 _"Sasuke,"_ Naruto breathed out.

Sasuke brought his mouth down hard on the lips that were moaning his name. Naruto had never before experienced a kiss so aggressive and he offered no resistance to the force of Sasuke's mouth, giving in to it completely matching him with equal aggression.

Both men devoured each other. Sasuke bit down on his lip and sucked hard on his tongue as Naruto matched his pace, thrusting his tongue in farther and harder, trying to taste every corner of Sasuke's mouth. The flavor of whiskey only adding to his need for more.

Naruto let out low growl as his hips lifted trying to find some relief against Sasuke. Frustrated at the distance, he grabbed Sasuke's hips and brought them forcefully down onto his own causing both men to groan in each other's mouth at the sensation. Doubts about what this all meant and whether or not he wanted this, fled Naruto's mind. Feeling his sanity being pulled from him, his mind inexorably latched onto the exquisite pleasure of having Sasuke's hardness press against his own. With each sensation, each thrust, Naruto's body drove out any and all thoughts that conflicted with his desire for more. More of this delirium. More of Sasuke.

With both of them now frantically grinding against each other, Sasuke knew if he didn't stop things now there would no time to change their clothes should they both end up cumming in their slacks. "Naruto… " He broke the kiss and slowed his movements earning a frustrated whine from the man pinned beneath him.

Burying his face into Naruto's neck, he began to nip at the sensitive flesh. "There's time," he panted, saying the words not just to Naruto, but for his own benefit as well.

Sasuke tried to control his breathing. He hadn't planned to let this moment get so far. He had only wanted to pull Naruto's desire out so the boy could see this for what it was. He wanted the confusion and apprehension he had read earlier on his face to be cleared and replaced with the lust and fearlessness he knew existed just beneath the blond's doubts.

Continuing his light assault on the tan neck, Sasuke considered whether or not he'd be able to let Naruto leave tonight, if in fact, he did turn him down. Would Sasuke be able to let the blond walk away? A dark desire rose in him as his mind settled on the thought that he could probably find ways to force the boy to stay. No, Sasuke thought, those things were better left for after he got the boy to stay of his own free will.

"Stay with me tonight."

Naruto shamelessly writhed against Sasuke, pulling another low moan from the elegant alabaster throat of the man above him. God, how Naruto wanted to mark it. He wanted to scrape his teeth along the smooth skin of that beautiful neck and mark it for his own. He didn't know where all these crazy thoughts were coming from. He still didn't fully understand how Uchiha Sasuke was able to bring this out of him but he knew he wanted more. "I'll stay."

Sasuke raised his head and Naruto looked at him, the blond's agreement sending a rush of both relief and satisfaction through him. The heated lust within the deep blues staring up at him spiked his pulse as strong tan hands fisted into his hair. The doubt in his eyes were gone. Feeling the blond tug him down, Sasuke complied and met Naruto's mouth with his own. Giving in to the boy's passion, Sasuke let Naruto control the deep and slow kiss, sliding his tongue against his with the same languid pace.

When Naruto released the grip on his hair, Sasuke broke the kiss and slowly lifted himself off of Naruto and stood. He immediately began to straighten his tux and run his fingers through his hair hoping his actions would somehow quiet the aching erection pushing against his slacks. In a slight daze, Naruto raised himself off the couch and gave himself a moment before standing up.

"Come here, Naruto." Naruto looked over to see Sasuke watching him. With weakened legs, he walked toward Sasuke and met his gaze. Long graceful fingers reached out toward him and began deftly adjusting his suit.

Looking from his ruffled clothes and back to his bright blue eyes, Sasuke smoothed Naruto's shirt and jacket and fixed his tie. "It'll be dark in the club, so no one's going to notice if you're a bit wrinkled." He gave Naruto a small smile and the blond couldn't help but smile back.

The previous heat was finally fading and though highly frustrated, both men couldn't help but feel a bit relieved they wouldn't have to contend with an aching hard-on for the rest of the night. Sasuke tried not to think about how good Naruto had felt writhing beneath him and Naruto tried not to think about anything at all. It was all they could do to try and keep their feelings in check. Naruto didn't trust himself to think about how Sasuke's tongue tasted against his, so he reached for the whiskey still left in his glass and downed the rest in one go.

Setting the empty glass back down, Naruto headed for the door, when Sasuke's voice abruptly stopped him. "One more thing." Sasuke turned back and disappeared behind the room divider. Naruto could faintly see him walk to one of the nightstands and stop in front of it. A small metallic sound reached his ears just before Sasuke returned to where he was waiting.

Sasuke reached around Naruto's neck and smoothed his collar before moving lower and threading a red rose bud into his lapel. "There." Sasuke took a step back. Trying to hold onto his indifferent composure, his jet black eyes danced as he marvelled at how ravishing the blond looked. And the most attractive thing about him was that the street rat had no awareness of his looks at all.

"Why?" Naruto held Sasuke's eyes to his.

Sasuke regarded the blond for a moment and then pulled on his tuxedo jacket and began to absentmindedly adjust his cufflinks. "A flash of color is always a nice addition to a suit." Sasuke's eye's lit with amusement as he looked back up to Naruto, even though his face gave nothing away.

"Bastard." Naruto turned and opened the door.

Sasuke's lips twitched in response to Naruto's insult as he followed the blond out the door.

* * *

Sasuke had led Naruto to the table where Gaara was waiting, just as he said he would. Not that Gaara was all that surprised. He had a feeling that Sasuke wouldn't lower himself to do something so common as lie. The man had the power and influence to do pretty much whatever he wanted. Not to mention his ego would probably relish every opportunity to tell the truth to whomever thought they might get a chance at provoking the crime boss. So why would he ever need to lie?

As the Uchuha and Naruto had approached the table, the dark-haired man had simply met the redhead's steel green eyes with his own gaze, before giving him a slight nod and then turning his attention to Naruto.

I have to see to the club but will return before the show begins." Sasuke's eyes locked onto Naruto's. Once he saw a light blush reach the blond's cheeks, he knew his message was received. The boy would wait for him and he would be back to collect him before the end of the night.

As a small smirk tugged at his mouth, Sasuke casually turned from the two men and left them to their evening.

"Nice flower." Gaara had waited for the Uchiha to leave before commenting on Naruto's sudden floral garnishment.

Gaara scanned Naruto's face looking for all things he knew Naruto wouldn't be able to tell him. His friend was trying to keep his face low, taking his time positioning his chair and inspecting the silverware, leaving Gaara with only the reddening of Naruto's face to tell the story Naruto would never say aloud.

Naruto sat firmly in the chair next to the redhead and felt his cheeks flush at Gaara's words. He didn't know how to process what was happening, much less explain any of it to Gaara. The clothes, his feelings, the damn flower, or the way he would've given anything to taste Uchiha Sasuke just one more time. That single thought quickly brought a heat to settle in his groin and he knew if he let his mind go there there would be no end to Gaara's teasing. Trying to breathe and wishing the waitress would bring some booze already, Naruto shifted awkwardly in his chair. Fumbling with his napkin, Naruto tried to wait out the awkwardness he knew Gaara was probably already reading all over his face.

"Naru." Gaara waited patiently for his friend to meet his gaze.

Naruto looked up at his best friend but had no remark for him. He didn't know what to tell Gaara. He had never been this rash with the few lovers he'd taken in the past. He knew this was risky. But his dark desire for the Uchiha had surprised him and the need that had engulfed him during their private escapade in the suite had his head spinning. There were too many questions and confusions rolling around in his head to make sense of anything, so how in the hell would be able to vocalize it to his best friend of twelve years?

The confusion and slight panic Gaara saw in Naruto's eyes, pulled at him. "Okay." He forced a slight lift of the corner of his mouth. "You'll never guess who's part of the show tonight." Changing the subject seemed the most merciful tactic at this point.

"Wha… ? ...Show? Who?" Naruto was so grateful Gaara was letting him off the hook that he stumbled over his words in surprise and eagerness to follow the change in conversation.

Lifting up his sake cup, the redhead steeled his gaze and nodded to Naruto. "To life's little surprises."

Naruto always marveled at Gaara's ability to crack a joke without cracking a smile. It was definitely something Naruto would never be able to accomplish. He looked at his lifelong partner in crime and lifted his glass; a knowing smirk growing on his lips. "Cheers, fucker."

* * *

After dropping off the blond as promised, Sasuke headed down from the VIP balcony and to the main office entrance located behind the bar to check on Tenten and the box office receipts.

The box office window was located in the main office and Tenten managed things there for him. She had originally been brought on as a waitress, until one day Sasuke had overheard some of his security detail talking about how one of them had lost to her during a knife throwing contest. To see for himself, he then invited the small statured woman to his home and asked her to show him what skills she had with the blade.

Not only had she surprised him with her knife wielding abilities but it turned out that Tenten was an expert in quite a few other areas of weaponry as well. From knives to the tommy gun he kept stashed and loaded just for her in the office, Tenten showed flawless command with them all. A valuable asset in this line of business.

After the box office, he would make his way up the stairs opposite of the VIP balcony to the main entrance of the club that led out to the front lobby of The Tokyo Palace Hotel. This was his nightly routine. From the club to the front desk he would be able to get an idea of how many guests would be arriving to the club and how many would be staying that night.

The Palace was only a two story hotel but Sasuke had made sure that each of the twenty rooms they had available were posh and filled with all the amenities befitting of the Uchiha name.

It had been Itachi's idea. He had told Sasuke all about catering to the wealthy one night after a heated discussion over bath soap. "There are only twenty rooms, Otouto. We must raise the standard for each and every one." Itachi had leveled his piercing eyes at Sasuke. "Extravagance is always about the little things. You feed their taste for the finer things and they'll keep coming back for more."

But it hurt to think of his brother right now. He pushed at the thought and it went without much protest. It was far better to think of Naruto.

As the front desk clerk handed him the registration book to look over, Sasuke allowed his mind to play with the thought of what he would like to do with the blond after the club closed tonight. Their earlier tryst had ended far too soon and Sasuke was looking forward to see just how far he could push the blond. During their first heated exchange, Naruto had lost his temper and the act of defiance had tantalized Sasuke like nothing before. Like a child with a new toy, he felt eager to see just what it would take to break him. And with it being Saturday, it meant there would be no need to work the club in the morning giving him countless hours to play with the boy.

A small smile formed on the Uchiha's lip before he remembered himself and quickly quelled it. Lucky for him the desk clerk took it as a sign that business was good and he'd be keeping his job.

Sasuke handed the guest log back to the clerk and strode toward the hotel front entrance. As he walked out of the front doors of The Palace Hotel he glanced over at the box office line to his right. The cool May evening seemed to have only encouraged the excess of high collars and fur coats from this evening's clientele. The lavishness that surrounded Sasuke on a daily basis, bored him to no end. He couldn't deny that he loved the affluence and power his position offered him, but the constant bragging and flashing of opulence by his regular guests weared on his nerves. Once his older brother had figured out the desires of the higher class and ultimately the key to catering to them, Sasuke found nothing else about them worth discovering.

Sasuke had always been far too intelligent for his age. At only twenty years old, his father had chosen him to take over management of the club. Of course Madara was the current head of the Clan, but it was his father who was listed as the owner. He had originally groomed Itachi to run the hotel but now that Itachi was gone, the burden fell to the younger brother. Sasuke's innate sharp intellect had won his father's praise and rather than passing him over for his older cousin Obito, Fugaku had decided to leave the handling of the The Tokyo Palace to his son, Sasuke.

A few minor staffing changes and a strict schedule had allowed the young Uchiha to take over operations and step into the role smoothly, rapidly exceeding everyone's expectations. Not that Itachi hadn't been sufficiently qualified for the job but Sasuke had always sensed a restraint in his brother. Where as Sasuke saw the benefit of using his influence to garner favor with the meat distributors and local law enforcement, Itachi had always held back from using intimidation to accomplish his goals. He had preferred to use his cunning perception and sharp intellect whenever haggling with a vendor or a cop who was interested in making a little more than the other guy. While it was always fun to watch his brother verbally take these people down in a matter of minutes, Sasuke had no patience for the tactic.

Sasuke had understood his brother's approach. He and Itachi had had many discussions and heated arguments over whether or not they should get out of the crime business. His older brother had been adamant. Crime was not a necessary element of success, he had said and the tarnishing of the Uchiha name was inexcusable. But the reality was, to survive in the world they were operating in, you had to play the game. Sasuke had taken this lesson to heart at Itachi's grave.

He wondered if it would have been different if any of Itachi's elaborate plans to get them all out of New York and back to Japan had succeeded..

Sasuke remembered those early arguments, going back and forth on why they had left Japan in the first place and why Itachi had this sudden desperation to go back but Itachi had wanted out.

He had finally convinced Sasuke to join him in finding a way to get them and their parents out and back to Japan when Itachi had been taken out by an explosion down at the docks. With Itachi gone, Sasuke felt no desire to hold back the way his brother had. Any innocence Sasuke had had about playing by the rules had died with Itachi.

His mother had taken the loss hard. Once his father had drilled into Sasuke just what he expected of him now that Itachi was gone, both his parents pulled back from the business and began spending most of their time in Long Island. Occasionally, his uncle Madara would insist on Fugaku's cooperation relating to syndicate matters but for the most part, his father now tried to minimize his association with the hotel and most of the Uchiha Clan business. It was all on Sasuke's shoulders now.

With a dark scowl beginning to settle on his brow, Sasuke watched the line outside the box office begin to fill. Why couldn't he just let the memories of his brother go? What was the point in dwelling on the matter now? Itachi was gone. Whatever plans they once had about escaping New York were now lost and he was on his own.

Trying to shake himself free of the still raw memories, Sasuke adjusted his bow tie and smoothed his features as he walked over to the box office line to greet a few of the patrons already waiting there. Turning up the charm, he let a small smile rest on his face. He didn't usually enjoy the necessary interaction with the club guests; the American guests were always annoying him with their crude mannerisms with slaps on his back or putting a rough arm around his shoulder either in flirtation or to let him know what a fabulous establishment The Palace was.

But tonight would be different. As he shooed away thoughts of his brother, his mind effortlessly went to the blond who was waiting for him at his table. No, tonight the small smile on his face wouldn't be hard to hold at all.

* * *

The nightclub came alive almost immediately. As soon as the first wave of clubgoers started being ushered in, the band broke into their rendition of Benny Goodman's new hit, Room 1411. The waitresses started rushing to and fro, grabbing drink orders on the fly while fur coats and shawls were tossed without care onto tables and chairs, as the men pulled their dates to the dancefloor.

Naruto had never seen anything like it. He glanced over to Gaara and raised his eyebrows in excitement only to have Gaara rolled his eyes back at him. Naruto let out a laugh and knew that even if the redhead would never show it, he was just as fascinated at the sight of how the rich entertained themselves.

Naruto couldn't keep the smile from his face. It had been a long time since he and Gaara had taken an evening to just relax and enjoy themselves. Hell, not since those days working The Lower East Side and sharing a few stolen pints with Shika and the gang had he and Gaara spent a night out drinking and laughing it up.

On and on it went. The sake kept flowing and Gaara and Naruto were enjoying the sights and sounds of New York's elite. Both of the friends easily picked out the Manhattan money that had just arrived to the club. Two of the wealthiest exporters of Asian antiques were winding their way to a front table and Naruto nudged the redhead with his elbow at the sight of them. The two men were well known in New York and Gaara and Naruto had them on their do not touch list.

It sure was tempting though. Gaara turned to Naruto and they exchanged a knowing glance at the money being thrown around. The way the rich tossed their fur coats and handbags without looking back had both men wondering just how secure this place really was.

Gaara couldn't help but feel a slight tingle of unease. Sure the the Uchiha were ruthless and seemingly untouchable but easy money always attracted trouble. He brushed the thought aside, chalking it up to residual tension from their earlier run-in with the Chinese. Either way, he and Naruto were used to handling themselves. Chances were that, the only thing laying in wait for him tonight was a quiet walk home alone. Gaara watched Naruto light them each a cigarette and comically wondered just how his best friend was planning on breaking the news to him.

The band had just finished playing Tommy Dorsey's Boogie Woogie and the crowd erupted with applause. The band leader then announced The Pink Lady would be taking the stage later in the evening and that they wouldn't want to miss it.

Naruto passed one of the two cigarettes he had lit to Gaara. "The Pink Lady?"

His friend twitched an eyebrow back at him causing Naruto to roll his eyes this time. "Fine. I guess we'll just have to stay for the show then." He shot a mocking look to his friend.

"Like you had plans to leave anytime soon." Gaara teased and watched as a heated flush set into the cheeks of his blond haired friend.

 _To be continued..._


	3. Chapter 3: Manhattan rats

**A/N** \- I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Let me just say thank you SO MUCH to all of you who have sent me so many wonderful comments. I have to be honest and say I was really expecting this story to go unnoticed! But you all have been so kind and I just wanted to thank you all for your encouragement and kind words! Each and every one of them means so much to me and helps keep me ever at my keyboard trying to give this story the best I have.

Okay, SO! In this chapter we get an introduction to some new characters. Now I'm going to go WAY out of character with the women I write so please, if you take offense to it, don't read! Because I won't be responding to any comments asking me to either explain myself or to please let you know just where I plan on taking these characters. The only one who knows all the plot twists and surprises in this fic is my WONDERFULLY AMAZING BETA, KizuKatana. No one else gets a sneak peek!

 **Warnings** : Graphic Violence, Gun Violence, Language

* * *

Chapter 3 - Manhattan rats

Their first taste of steak, big band music jumping and jiving, endless sake and the VIP treatment from one of the elitist nightclubs in New York City had Naruto and Gaara spinning. Even if only for one night, the two best friends were finally letting themselves relax into pleasure of the evening. No sooner had their empty dinner plates been whisked away by the pretty blond waitress then a new bottle of sake appeared on the table in front of them.

As the band kicked up Count Basie's One O'Clock Jump, the two best friends were feeling mighty fine. Of course, Gaara was still waiting on Naruto's decision. He watched how his friend was getting overly friendly with the sake and wondered if the booze was meant to settle his nerves about the Uchiha or over how he was gonna break the news to Gaara that he wouldn't be heading back to their cold rooftop storage room tonight.

He could see it all over the blond's face that he had no intention of leaving anytime soon but just how Naruto was planning to confess this little fact to Gaara had yet to revealed. The redhead decided it would be best not to rush it. They still had a few hours before either one of them needed to face that choice.

It's not like Gaara wouldn't understand. Not that he would choose sleeping with the Uchiha over the cold storage room they shared on the far side of Brownsville, but he could understand.

"Check it out." Naruto jerked his chin out over the floor and the redhead followed his line. "Looks like security is out and about." Naruto had been watching the same two men wander around the club for awhile. At first he thought they were looking for friends to meet up with. One would leave the other and then they both would tour the club alone. It wasn't until he saw one disappear into the kitchen and the other through stage door before eventually wandering back again to the main floor that he picked up on their security tactic. They would then exchange a word or two and point to one location or another before casually separating to take their individual tours again.

Gaara noted the muscle and felt a bit easier at the sight of them. Both of the men Naruto had pointed out had stocky builds and wore dark black suits as if trying minimize their presence in the dim lighting of the club. Gaara couldn't tell if either of the men were packing but by the overly confident way they carried themselves, he was almost positive they were. Feeling himself loosen up a little, it pleased Gaara to know that Sasuke didn't take the club's security lightly. Not that he had any plans to ever underestimate the Uchiha, but it was good to know the man was no fool.

"Can I get you gentlemen anything else? Cigar or cigarettes? Perhaps some coffee?" Ino flashed her practiced smile at the two men.

"Does everyone here only speak Japanese?" Naruto asked in English, wondering if the waitress even understood him.

"Sasuke prefers only Japanese be spoken to his Japanese guests and at his private table." Her English was spot on and Naruto smiled at her use of it.

"Then Japanese it is." Naruto looked to Gaara and raised a sake cup to him. The waitress left the men to their drinking just as Gaara leveled his green eyes at the blue ones in front of him and tried to read what Naruto could possibly be thinking. More and more the redhead was glad he tagged along to keep an eye on his best friend.

Naruto was just about to question Gaara's sudden look of concern when his eyes settled on something over the redhead's shoulder, coming through the nightclub entrance door.

Gaara saw Naruto's face freeze and his eyes narrow. He immediately knew something was up. "Naru?" Gaara wasn't about to turn around. The look on Naruto's face was all he needed to know. Turning around would only draw attention to themselves.

"Manhattan rats." Naruto kept his eyes fixed on the two men who had just entered the club. To a casual observer, they looked like any other party goer but no matter how much sake Naruto had to drink, he never forgot a face.

Sasuke's table was located on the balcony directly across from the upstairs entrance giving Naruto a perfect view of the club's front doors. To get to the tables and the dance floor, guests had to come down one of the two staircases from the entrance. One let out at the rear of the club next to the edge of the dance floor while the other dropped down near the front of the club by the bar.

Gaara looked past Naruto and caught the attention of their waitress. He motioned for her to come around to his left side.

"Yes, sir?" With her on his left, Gaara was able to glance slightly past her to get a good look at which rats Naruto had spotted.

After getting a good eyeful, he looked back up to the waitress. "Could I get another pack of smokes?"

"Of course, sir." She smiled at him and his blond friend. Ino noticed how neither one of them were paying much attention to her. Of course that wasn't unusual for Sasuke's dinner guests. She hadn't been a fool about that. But instead of disregard due to lack of interest in her long blonde hair and low cut dress, both the men looked distracted. She nodded to the redhead and went to get the cigarettes.

"Do you think there's going to be trouble?" Naruto had learned over the years to trust Gaara's hunches. They had both been forced to sharpen their instincts while living on the tough New York streets but Gaara's eyes always seemed to pick up whatever Naruto happened to have missed. And tonight Naruto would've been lying if he said he didn't feel his game was a little off. Apparently the Uchiha had gotten under his skin more than he realized.

"Did you see the dame they brought with them?" Gaara picked up his sake cup and examined it. "Check out her dress."

Naruto watched as a tall voluptuous redhead he hadn't noticed before, circled her arm around of the forearm of one of the men Naruto had already marked as trouble. The taller man had on a brown suit but it was his black curly hair cut near to the scalp that Naruto that had jogged his memory. The stocky man with the redhead on his arm had a shaggy look to him. His grey suit looked a few sizes too big and his dirty blond hair was long and slicked back. They were definitely the same men they'd tangled with all those months ago near Chinatown. Though Gaara would've rathered a chance at a little payback somewhere other than inside the Uchiha Clan's Tokyo Palace, it looked as though fate had a different plan.

Naruto eyed the redhead as she descended the staircase nearest to the stage. Scanning her dress, he noted the low neckline and the high slit on her thigh. There were only one or two places a woman would be able to hide something in a dress that tight and revealing. No stranger to the female form, Naruto knew whatever Gaara had spotted would be fairly easy to catch if he paid close attention.

Naruto eyes trailed over her cleavage and then down to the slit. With each step down the staircase, the high opening on her thigh flipped up and he thought he caught a flash of something black. "A garter?"

"Wait until she hits the floor and then look again." Gaara pretended to take a sip of the sake and then put the cup back down on the table.

Naruto's eyes were now trained on the woman as she finally came to the floor of the club. Both men guided her around and tugged her toward the tables nearest to the stage. As she turned Naruto's eyes narrowed.

There it was. A bulge high on her hip, just above the slit in her dress and just below a decorative flower. It was a pretty good stash, Naruto thought. No one would have noticed it unless they were looking for it.

Gaara waited for the blond to meet his gaze. "They search the men at the entrance but they don't search the women."

Naruto nodded. "But if the men aren't holding then what? That lady is gonna take everyone out herself?"

"Those guys have friends somewhere." Gaara was now anxious for their waitress to come back. "Remember the last time we had a run-in with them up near Chinatown? Those fuckers never did like a fair fight. If it hadn't been for Shika and the gang, we never would've stood a chance. Those five extra guys came outta nowhere."

Naruto looked back down at the floor below them and couldn't see the two men or the woman anywhere. "Shit. Lost them."

"Can you see where Sasuke is?" Gaara was suddenly wishing he was back in his street clothes. This goddamn suit was going to get the way, he thought to himself. Loosening up his tie, he then took off his jacket and draped it over the back of his chair.

"Yeah." Naruto tried to stop the way his heart had skipped a beat when his gaze fell upon the ivory skinned man standing next to the bottom of the VIP staircase beside the bar. "He's at the bar."

The balcony where they were sitting only held six tables. Sasuke's table was the nearest to the stage and the farthest from the stairs. With the staircase at the rear of the VIP balcony, Naruto knew he might draw attention to himself by walking the distance, but figured if he could just get close enough to Sasuke, he'd have a better chance of alerting him.

Their waitress suddenly appeared with Gaara's smokes and came around again on his left as he had previously instructed. She handed the cigarettes to the redhead and he firmly grabbed by her wrist and lowered her eyes to meet his. "I need you to get Juugo now. Do you understand?" Gaara steeled his eyes at her and slowly released her hand as he saw her face take on a look of recognition. The waitress nodded to him and quickly hurried away.

Gaara watched the pretty girl briskly walk off. Naruto was still trying to scan the floor for the three markers while Gaara took a moment to think about why he was already prepping himself to intervene. Should they even bother? If he and Naruto did spot them again shouldn't they just alert Sasuke? Why confront the three troublemakers? Sasuke's hired muscle should be able to handle things from there. And where the fuck did those two security goons disappear to all of a sudden anyway? Too many questions had Gaara's gut churning. If this was what he he was starting to believe it was, then having Uchiha Sasuke owe them one would be a sweet card up their sleeve. Glancing at the raw concern on his best friend's face, he acknowledged that he also didn't want to see Naruto hurt again. They'd already lost too much to the fucking turf wars in this shitty city. Making up his mind, Gaara decided losing his tie altogether would be best.

"I'm going down to the floor." Gaara rose and stepped back from the table. "Is Sasuke still at the bar?"

"Yeah." Naruto's eyes kept darting from Sasuke and back to where he last saw the three suspicious club guests, trying to quickly spot any one of them.

Gaara walked to where Naruto was still seated and leaned down, "When I head downstairs and pass by the bar, Sasuke's gonna notice. He'll look for you. Make sure you're near the stairs when he does."

"Gaara." Naruto lifted his head and hardened his eyes at his best friend.

"Yeah." Returning Naruto's concerned look. "You too."

Naruto nodded and Gaara left him to make his way to the stairs. "Shit." He muttered to no one. Feeling now fully justified for having earlier swiped his steak knife from the table, the redhead readied himself and headed down toward the bar.

Sasuke was looking out over the floor as his eyes skillfully marked the bottles of champagne, the dinner plates and the cash being thrown at each of the waitresses he had working the tables. He was about to head to the front office to check the box office sales when he spotted a familiar redhead walking directly past him. **  
**

Eyeing Gaara, Sasuke waited to see if he would turn around to acknowledge him but the redhead just pushed on, winding his way around the tables in the direction of the stage.

Sasuke immediately looked up to the balcony where he knew Naruto was sure to be sitting and noticed the empty table. Quickly his eyes scanned the balcony for the blond, until his dark eyes met the deep blues already locked on him and noted the boy's alerted expression. Naruto hardened his look at him and jerked his head in the direction Gaara had headed.

A brief flash of confusion was immediately replaced by an awareness in Sasuke's eyes. To the Uchiha's credit, he took Naruto's expression and signal for what it was and quickly spun around, reaching behind the bar to hit the panic button that would alert Tenten in the front office.

Naruto's eyes suddenly caught a movement from directly underneath the stairs. He leaned forward and recognized the black curly hair and brown suited rat immediately. Naruto anxiously looked back to Sasuke but he was still turned around; busying himself with something behind the bar.

His eyes darted back to the man below him. Curly seemed to be stalling. Naruto watched him as he watched Sasuke, seemingly measuring the distance between himself and the Uchiha. 'Fuck,' Naruto thought. Quickly he turned his head out toward the floor and couldn't find either one of the security guys that had previously been roaming the club. Sasuke was unprotected.

The urgency in Naruto began to rise. Either the sake or the earlier romp in Sasuke's private suite, caused a dark protectiveness to suddenly wash over him. His mind screamed for Sasuke to turn around but instead the man below him shifted and Naruto's eyes sharpened as Mr. Brown Suit pulled a gun from his waistband.

"Sasuke!" Without missing a beat, Naruto jumped over the balcony railing and came crashing down on the man. The gun went off and the nightclub erupted in pandemonium. The sounds of screams filled the club and people began fleeing up the stairs to the exit while others bolted for the stage and kitchen doors.

Whipping around to the shout of his name, Sasuke watched as Naruto fell atop a man who had been pointing a gun in his direction. At the force of the impact, Sasuke saw the gun knocked free of the gunman's hand and tumble out of reach just as Naruto brought the full weight of his body down on the man in a dark brown suit.

Both men hit the floor, stunned for a moment and hardly able to move. Naruto landed on top, and was the first to recover. He shifted his weight to free his right arm that was pinned beneath the man, rubbing it to get feeling to return. The other man shakily tried to lift himself up from his faceplant and push Naruto off, but Naruto dug his good elbow in the small of the man's back forcing him to stay down. Naruto's eyes scanned the floor for the missing gun, not really knowing what direction it had gone when they'd hit the ground. As long as it wasn't in reach, he supposed it was sufficiently out of play. Shaking himself alert, he reached for the nearest chair to help drag himself up.

The blond was up first. Knees still not quite steady, Naruto spun around and charged at the would be hitman, hooking a hard right straight to the guys face. The man had only managed to lift himself half way up when Naruto landed a punch that sent the fucker flying back and crashing into one of the nearby tables. He landed on his back and Naruto lunged at him. The blond dropped a hard knee into his ribcage and then straddled him, continuing his fierce assault on the bastards face and pummeling him until his knuckles started to bleed from force of his hits.

The bloodied and dazed the man retaliated by sending a hard knee upwards causing a blinding white pain to shoot through Naruto. He crumpled from the strike, giving the dark haired man an opening to push up hard and flip Naruto off, before getting up and staggering away.

Shots were being fired from somewhere at the back of the club and Naruto's mind immediately went to Gaara, hoping he was alright. Still pained from the earlier knee to his groin, he tried to shake off the aching in his balls. Quickly pulling himself to his feet, Naruto focused on trying to get to Sasuke while still scanning the crowd for his opponent. People were knocking passed him, trying to escape the club and inadvertently keeping him from reaching the bar where he had last seen the Uchiha. When he finally neared the bar, he saw Sasuke and the curly haired thug struggling over something. Naruto plowed through the crowd and blitzed the bastard.

As Naruto sideswiped the guy, Sasuke had managed to pull free as both Naruto and Mr. Brown Suit went head first into the front of the bar. Disoriented from the hard hit, both men slid to the floor and the would be hitman landed on his back right on top of Naruto.

Using his position and his weight, Sasuke's attacker pinned Naruto as elbows came flying at the blond from above. Taking hits to his ribcage, Naruto tried to roll the man off of him but couldn't gain the leverage to lift or shake him.

Another hard hit took the air from the blond's lungs and as he looked up from squinted eyes he saw Sasuke standing over them both, gripping a Louisville Slugger. Sasuke's black eyes went cold. Even while letting out a pained grunt from taking another shot to his ribs, Naruto's eyes stayed fixed on the Uchiha.

In a split second Sasuke raised the bat and in one fluid motion, swung hard at the hitman's face. Blood went flying and Naruto heard the unmistakeable sound of bones breaking. The body on top of him went limp and Naruto pushed him off.

Now free of the weight, Naruto took a few deep breaths and filled his lungs, relieved to have the weight off. Looking up at Sasuke, he could see the Uchiha's face was flushed deep with color and his eyes were burning from within their black depths. He could see Sasuke panting; his breathing and the color in his cheeks being the only evidence of having been pushed to action; his stoic mask still well in place.

Naruto stared in awe. Uchiha Sasuke's calm cold poise above him reminded Naruto of just how dangerous the dark eyed man truly was. Before he could stop himself Naruto licked his lips as the phrase playing with fire settled in his mind. Sasuke was dangerous alright and so help him, the very thought of it turned the blond on.

As if reading his mind, Sasuke's eyes gleamed at him and a small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth; one of his eyebrows twitching in response.

Naruto smiled lustfully at him. "A buck eighty-five well spent."

The sound of shots being fired from behind them broke the spell and Naruto was on his feet. "Gaara!" He turned to head toward the stage and find his best friend.

"Naruto!" He looked back at the sound of Sasuke's voice and saw him toss the baseball bat his way. Naruto caught it and with a quick look of thanks, he broke into a run toward the dance floor.

* * *

Gaara knew Sasuke would spot him. He hoped his hunch was wrong and that the two goons and their lady weren't here to start trouble but the gun stash was hard to ignore. Only two possibilities entered his mind. Either they were here to hold the place up or they were here to rub someone out. Knowing how the streets worked, Gaara's money was on the Uchiha. Still, he thought, challenging the clan so boldly this way bothered Gaara. These guys were either painfully stupid or heavily connected. And both considerations gnawed at Gaara's gut.

As he passed by Sasuke, Gaara didn't turn back to look at him but instead scanned the front of the club for the two security guards or the two Manhattan men and their redhead.

Trying to keep his movements casual, Gaara stopped in the middle of the nightclub floor between the center aisle tables and pulled out a smoke, making like he was searching for a light. As he patted his pockets, his eyes darted around the club. He looked to the stage and saw a familiar head of pink hair talking to the band conductor. "Shit." His eyes swept the club again and Gaara knew the situation was quickly becoming more serious.

He was considering whether or not there was time to warn the nightclub singer of danger when Gaara spotted the two men.

One was exiting the kitchen doors on the right and the other appeared from the stage door on his left, a few feet from the band setup. On his left, the goon in the brown suit was sticking close to the wall underneath the balcony and heading straight for the bar at the front of the club where he had last seen Sasuke.

Gaara now had no doubt that this was definitely a planned hit on the Uchiha. He decided to leave the hitman heading for the bar to Naru and focus his attention on the stocky man in the grey suit heading out of the kitchen and slowly making his way to the dancefloor. He didn't know where the redhead had disappeared to but it was too late to worry about that now.

As he started to make his way to intercept the shaggy blond on his right, Gaara spotted Juugo bolting through the stage door on the left.

"Juugo!" Gaara shouted, knowing Juugo would track his voice. The Manhattan rat looked up at the sound of Gaara's yell and his eyes widened as recognition lit up his face.

Vaguely Gaara heard a gun go off from somewhere in the club just as he bolted at rat in the oversized grey suit head on.

The man was quick. At the sight of Gaara charging at him, he spun around, reached into his waistband and pulled out a snub nose revolver. The sound of screams were filling up the club as the hitman let off two shots at Gaara.

Gaara tried to twist his body mid-charge but only succeeded in an awkward dive toward a nearby table. A sharp sting radiated from his left shoulder as he landed on his right side and began sliding himself across the floor toward a table for cover. Cursing under his breath, he pushed the table over used it as a shield. When he looked out from where he was, he saw Juugo struggling with the gunman. Seeing his chance, Gaara was up and making a break for the band, his eyes locked on the microphone stand.

The woman with the pink hair stood frozen. Everyone was running every which way in a mad frenzy to find a way out of the club. She was trying to will her legs to move when she saw a familiar face racing toward her.

"Gaara!"

With deft agility, Gaara grabbed the microphone stand with one hand and the waist of the pink haired nightclub singer with the other. He dragged the girl with him and shoved her down toward the orchestra chairs. "Get down!"

Gripping the mic stand, he turned back and bolted to where Juugo was on the floor wrestling and trading punches with the hitman.

"Juugo!" As the man looked up toward the shout of his name, it took Juugo only half a second to catch on. Juugo rolled off the gunman just as Gaara's full swing hit. The microphone stand swung wild and Gaara caught the man's neck instead of his head. The man let out a garbled scream and released his grip on the gun. The piece tumbled and was kicked away by nightclub guests trying to shove their way past, not bothering to notice the deadly struggle happening around them.

The force of his swing had caused Gaara to reel, giving his adversary the split second he needed to react.

The hitman scrambled to his feet and took off stumbling and spitting blood as he headed toward the stage door. He slid to a stop when he saw pink haired woman crouched behind the band seats. He yanked her up by her hair and pulled another gun from his coat pocket. Dragging the girl to him, he aimed the gun at her head.

"Don't fucking move!" He cocked the gun and glared at Gaara as he started moving backwards toward the stage door dragging the woman with him.

Gaara shifted sideways toward the hitman. He led with the left side of his body and held out his left hand. If he let the man get away he knew the woman was as good as dead.

"I got no gun." He kept voice low and even, his eyes never wavering from the assailant in front of him. With his right hand slightly out of the hitman's line of sight, Gaara reached into his back pants pocket.

"Show me your other hand!"

Lifting his left hand up in a signal to stop and wait, Gaara kept his voice smooth. "Sure. Just take it easy." And with skilled precision, the redhead brought his right hand forward, snapping his wrist at the last second, and letting the knife in his hand fly.

The knife found its home in the gunman's throat. He released his grip on the woman and reached for the blade lodged in his neck. Gaara charged and snatched the pink haired woman dragging her away from the stage and toward the tables for cover.

In shock and bleeding everywhere, the man began to shoot blindly in Gaara's direction and out into the club.

"Gaara!" The sound of Naruto's voice filled the redhead with relief.

Dragging the club singer with him to keep moving farther back and under the tables, Gaara waited for his backup as the shots from the dying man kept ringing throughout the club. He silently hoped Naruto was packing heat.

Without warning, the sound of a distinctive rat-tat-tat filled the club. Naruto dove to the floor at the sound and Juugo followed suit. Gaara pushed the pink lady down and covered her with his body. After a moment the gunfire ceased and the men lifted their heads, surveying the nightclub floor to see where the shots had come from.

Gripping a tommy gun in her hands, a small brunette was standing on top of the bar at the front of the club. She was wearing a tight red Asian-styled dress with white floral print. The dress had slits obscenely high on both sides of her thighs and Naruto could make out jet black nylons covering her legs. She was barefoot and had a blood-red cape tied to her neck and draped over one shoulder. 'Holy hell,' Naruto thought, impressed.

With the knife still protruding from his throat and blood spilling from the wound, the shaggy blond, turned his gun on the tiny brunette. Without flinching, she fired the Thompson and took him out with expert finesse. As he hit the floor, the brunette tossed her tommy gun to Sasuke who was standing below her on the left of the bar. Reaching up, she undid the ties at her throat, allowing the red cloak to fall to her feet.

Just as Gaara was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a woman suddenly climbed out from under one of the tables near the rear of the club. He instantly recognized the redhaired woman as the one that had accompanied the two hitmen into the club. Before he could shout out a warning to Sasuke, the woman pulled a gun from her thigh and fired at the small brunette.

"Tenten!" Sasuke moved to take cover behind the bar and lifted the tommy gun, readying it to return fire.

But it wasn't necessary. Tenten had already cartwheeled off the bar. She tucked into a roll as she landed and by the time she got to her feet, the knife that had somehow appeared in her hand was already flying through the air and burying itself into the shooter's stomach.

Tenten never slowed her stride. Heading straight toward her attacker, both her hands reached and found the two billy clubs that were strapped, crisscross along her back. Pulling them out, she spun them before bringing both clubs hard across the woman, simultaneously. One hit the left the redhead's face as the other connected with the right hand that was holding the gun. The force of the hits were heard by Naruto, who once more noted the sound of breaking bones.

The woman collapsed to the ground. Tenten stood over her for a moment and when satisfied the redhead wouldn't be getting up, the small brunette turned on her heels and headed back toward Sasuke.

Slowly Naruto, Gaara and Juugo came out from behind the tables and made their way to the bar. Gaara was still toting the pink haired woman who was now ashen white with disbelief.

"Sakura!" Naruto said in shock at the sight of her. "What are you doing here?"

"Naruto?" The woman with the pink hair couldn't form any other words. She just stared in confusion at the blue-eyed man.

The faint sounds of police sirens coming from outside the club brought them all back to the present. Sasuke took a deep breath and surveyed the damage. Now empty except for them, the only bodies in the club were the hitmen and one of them was still alive. At least no guests had been killed, Sasuke thought.

"Juugo. Take Naruto and Gaara to my suite." Sasuke looked to the redhead and the blond. "Wait there for me."

"And Sakura?" Gaara's eyes met the Uchiha's. A flash of knowing passed between them.

"You can look after her in my suite." Sasuke turned and began giving orders to Tenten, who nodded and headed back to the front office. Sasuke then headed up the stairs toward the club entrance and out into the hotel lobby to greet the police as they arrived.

Gaara was still guiding Sakura by her waist when they all followed Juugo out the stage door and back to Sasuke's private room. Gaara looked over at Naruto and shoved him slightly with his right shoulder. "Orange groves and palm trees."

Naruto turned to see his best friend's green eyes locked on him. "Yeah." He took a deep breath and gave Gaara a small smile. "A chance to get away from all this… "

"Shit." Gaara finished. The two men looked at each other and then back to Juugo as they wound their way deeper into the back of the nightclub. Without saying another word both men sensed the change in their road. Not wanting to vocalize the shift and deal just yet with all the unanswerable questions, Gaara simply shot a facetious look to his best friend and raised an eyebrow at him.

Gaara thought he caught a touch of guilt in Naruto's eyes and quickly tried to squash it. "Hey, Naru."

The blond at first dropped his gaze but then quickly looked back at him. An apologetic look already readable in his blue eyes.

"Don't." Gaara shot a hard look at Naruto. "We've been through worse and you never blamed me for those times."

Naruto's face darkened and then cleared with a sudden understanding. "Thanks, Gaara." The redhead nodded as they continued to Sasuke's private suite.

* * *

Sakura's head was buried against Gaara's neck as he led her by the waist to Sasuke's room. She listened to Gaara and Naruto say something about palm trees but her mind couldn't hold onto the words. She could feel herself starting to shake again when Gaara suddenly tightened his arm around her.

She was surprised at his handling of her. Back at the orphanage, Gaara had been obsessively averse to touching. If anyone got too close, Gaara would send a chilling glare at the offender, warning them of the danger they faced if they didn't back off. Back when they had all been friends, Sakura never questioned him about it. She had heard rumors, but when weighed against her deep respect for the redhead, she decided some things were better left unsaid. Gaara had been there for her more than anyone during those dark times and in return, Sakura had accepted him the way he was.

Gaara gripped her more closely at the waist but Sakura made no attempt to grab ahold of him. Arms at her sides, she simply let him lead her. His strong right arm pulled her body tighter and her shaking began to subside. With her face snug against the crook of his neck, she breathed him in. It was a new scent. Despite all those years they had spent together, she had never been this close to the man to notice before.

The musky scent of his sweat from the evening's activities was evident but under that was a faint soft sweet smell. She couldn't quite place it and silently wondered if it was the soap he used or just the natural fragrance of his skin.

Gaara stiffened at the feel of Sakura's breath against his throat. He was now acutely aware of Sakura's body firmly pressed against his. With his arm around her waist, the frame of her body was almost completely flushed against him and he felt her inhale deeply as they walked. The warmth of her breath as she exhaled, sent a course of goosebumps down the back of his neck and across his back.

"You okay, Gaara?" Naruto was watching his friend with concern.

Gaara felt a sudden queasyness and he stumbled.

"Gaara!" Naruto reached for his friend and Sakura was barely able to grip the redhead's arm, stopping him before he fell hard to the ground.

The last thing Gaara heard before blacking out was Juugo's voice saying something about a couch and a doctor.

* * *

"The bullet went through and through, just grazing his upper arm. He lost a little blood but will be fine." The small Japanese man that Juugo had called for, began packing up his black bag. "I gave him something for the pain. His wound is clean and stitched up." The doctor looked up at the blond standing over him with a worried look on his face. "He's going to be fine." **  
**

Naruto nodded at his words and watched intently as the doctor checked Gaara's pulse one last time and then stood up satisfied with his assessment. "Are you sure he's alright?" When will he wake up?"

"When you stop flapping your gums long enough for me to get a word in." The redhead slowly opened one eye and squinted at the blond brooding over him.

"Hey fucker." Naruto gave his friend a broad smile. "How you feeling?"

"Drained and nauseous." Gaara grimaced as he tried to move his left arm. "And sore."

The doctor looked over to Gaara. "These are for the pain but you also need to try and eat something soon." He placed the vial of pills on the table next to the couch where Gaara was lying. Grabbing his black bag, he headed toward the suite door and leveled his eyes at Juugo. "Call me if he begins to fever or if there is anything else he might need."

Juugo nodded at him and watched him leave. He turned back to the three in the sitting room. "I need to check in with Sasuke."

Naruto nodded back at him and watched Juugo turn and walk out the door.

"Sakura." Naruto turned to face the girl with the pink hair sitting next to him on the velvet couch.

Sakura smiled at him. "Hey, Naruto. How's life been treating you?" They both stared at each other for a second until they both began to giggle at the irony. Soon both were howling with laughter. The stress and adrenaline from the night's events had had them wound tight and their need to release it finally won out.

Despite the pain, even Gaara couldn't keep a smile from forming on his lips. Just as the two began to catch their breath, the redhead looked at the two of them and let out one low chuckle. Sakura and Naruto caught the sound of it and exchanged a shocked look before falling again into another fit of laughter.

When they finally calmed themselves, Naruto looked at Sakura and smiled. "I never knew you were a singer."

"Well to be fair, you never asked." Sakura smiled back at him and let out a small giggle. "After you two got out, we figured… " Sakura stopped and caught her breath. "...I uh... ended up getting a job here, waiting on tables. Itachi was kind enough to take me in." Sakura gave Naruto a weak smile. She dropped her gaze and began to smooth out her dress. "One night, the regular singer got sick and they asked me to step in." She looked back up at Naruto and shrugged her shoulders. She then looked to Gaara. "Would you like some water, Gaara?"

"Sakura…" Naruto noted her nervous gestures, and knew there was more to it than that.

"Please, Naruto. Not tonight." She softened her eyes at her childhood friend and offered him a thin smile. "Let's catch up another night."

Gaara watched the interplay between them and decided to step in. "Water sounds good."

Naruto tried to stand up but Sakura held out her hand to him, motioning him to sit back down. "I'll get it. It's the least I can do." She smiled guiltily at the redhead on the couch and went to fetch him some water.

"You don't owe me anything, Sakura." He tried to glare at her but the pain in his left arm made him wince and he closed his eyes in defeat.

"Now, we both know that's a lie." With her back to him, she poured him a glass of water from the pitcher that was sitting on a small table next to the washroom. She walked it over to him and knelt next to the couch. Lifting the glass to his lips, he tried to reach for it with his good hand.

Sakura saw him hesitate. After a moment, Gaara gripped the glass, covering Sakura's hand with his own, and helped her bring the cup to his mouth.

A soft knock at the suite door drew their attention. The door opened and Juugo appeared. Looking at the blond, Juugo steadied a gaze at him. "Sasuke is finishing up with the police and will return shortly." Naruto nodded in return and quickly darted his eyes away.

Juugo stepped closer to Gaara. "Sasuke was sorry to hear of your injury and would like to offer you a room in the hotel while you recover. The police are still here, and he suggested that you might want to remain out of sight for a day or two. His personal doctor will attend to you and food has been sent up as well as a change of clothes. The room is yours for as long as you want."

Gaara looked at Naruto. They both exchanged a glance and Gaara nodded in acceptance. They didn't need any more trouble with the cops than what they already had. Slowly he tried to sit up and the room began to spin. "Shit." Naruto jumped up and Juugo stepped closer but Gaara held up his hand to them both. "I got it." Waiting until the room settled and his breathing evened, Gaara reached out a hand to Sakura.

Sakura blinked and then quickly took his hand and helped him up.

"Sasuke asked if you would mind looking after Gaara tonight." Juugo looked to Sakura. "He needs to be monitored for a rise in his temperature. The front desk will know how to reach the doctor if you end up needing him again this evening."

"I can look after him," Naruto stated firmly, but Juugo shook his head.

"You will draw more attention from the police if you are seen together. A man spending an evening with a club singer will not be noticed."

"I'll be fi... " Gaara began.

"Hush!" With one hand, Sakura reached for the pain medication the doctor had left, and with the other hand, she pulled Gaara's right arm up and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Hang on to me."

"I will escort you both to the room to make sure you get there safely." Juugo was leading them out of the suite when he looked back to Naruto. "Gaara will be in room 220. The phone over there can connect you if you need to reach him." Naruto nodded. "Sasuke said to please make yourself at home." Naruto reddened at the not-so-subtle implication but Juugo had already turned back to door.

"I'll see ya in the morning, Naru." Without turning back, Gaara lifted his hand slightly from Sakura's shoulders and flashed Naruto all five fingers and then one.

Naruto laughed and shook his head as the door closed behind them. Watch your six. Gaara and his goddamn jokes.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 **A/N** \- Well, it looks like our boys survived! We now have Naruto waiting alone for Sasuke to return to the suite and Gaara on his way to a hotel room with Sakura. I don't think you need me to spell out chapter 4 to you, do you? Oh my.

If the cold I currently have doesn't kick my ass too much, I should have Chapter 4 up sometime during New Year's Eve weekend. Until then, Happy 2016 to you all! Many blessings for a wonderful new year to you and yours!


	4. Chapter 4: One Night

**A/N** \- Happy 2016 everyone! So let's get right to the point, this is all lemon baby. It will be nothing but SasuNaru and we won't be getting to what's going on in the hotel room with Gaara and Sakura in this chapter. So if you're waiting around for the redhead and the Pink Lady, you'll get that in chapter 5.

 **Warning: ROUGH SEX, LANGUAGE, HARD YAOI THIS CHAPTER 18+ ONLY**. If you're not into **BOYxBOY** then please don't read this!

 **Disclaimer** : Kishi is tha man. I make no money from this.

And a shout out to **Kizu** **!** My totally awesome beta is the best! Love ya, woman!

* * *

Chapter 4 - One night

Sasuke entered the suite exhausted and irritated. It was almost four in the morning and dealing with greedy cops and his irate uncle had not been how he had wanted to spend the evening. Letting his mind drift every now and then to who was waiting for him in his suite once he finished with all the club nonsense had kept Sasuke from losing his patience several times during the night. He had to admit, Naruto was a great distraction. So many things he had originally assumed about the boy, he now had to rethink.

In just a matter of hours, everything about his full intentions with the blond had changed. Naruto had saved him tonight. Not just Naruto but the redhead as well. It wasn't like Sasuke was unfamiliar with having a man for the night but now he had to contend with the possibility of keeping the blond around a bit longer. Obviously Naruto and Gaara were valuable assets. The two street hoods had spotted the threat and without pause, defended Sasuke. Running his hands through his hair, Sasuke recalled the way Naruto had viciously punched and attacked the hitman, not even hesitating at the fact that the man had a gun and Naruto was unarmed. He knew the boy had a fire in him but the sight of such aggression from the blue-eyed boy with the unassuming face had sent a rush through Sasuke.

Still, he thought, as he slipped off his shoes, keeping Naruto around for security had nothing to do with how hot the blond was. It was just the logical solution. The bouncers at the door had missed what Gaara and Naruto hadn't and that was a skill Sasuke was willing to pay for. The business he was in rarely allowed for mistakes. If you were lucky, you were allowed one and one only. Better to have the two street rats on his side, even if it could… complicate things.

Locking the door behind him, Sasuke began tugging at his bow tie. Sliding it off, he turned to the sitting room and saw Naruto on the couch. He was leaning far back against it, staring up at the ceiling with drink in his hand and resting on his thigh. The blond hadn't reacted to Sasuke's arrival and a disappointment slowly settled in him at the thought that Naruto had fallen asleep.

He could see that the boy had showered. The drawstring pajama pants and tank top he was wearing were the ones Sasuke had instructed the laundry to leave in the bathroom. It pleased him to see that yet again, Naruto had allowed Sasuke to dress him. His eyes fell to the exposed chiseled tan arms and then up to the neck that was stretched back on the couch. Absentmindedly, Sasuke licked his lips.

Taking off his tuxedo jacket, Sasuke took a step closer to the sitting room. "Naruto?"

"Sa-suke?" A soft snort followed after.

"You're awake." Sasuke kept his voice impassive but his mood began to lift at the sound of Naruto's reply.

"Yeah."

Sasuke noted the flatness of the blond's tone. "How's Gaara?"

Naruto stayed staring at the ceiling. "Doctor said he's going fine… going _to be_ fine."

"You're drunk." Sasuke walked to the closet, undoing his cummmerbun and untucking his dress shirt as he went. His need to disrobe and distance himself from the wariness of the night increasing.

"Yeah. I guess I am." Naruto tried to keep his voice flat but the alcohol had done it's job and the bite in his tone was evident.

"You're angry." Clad only in his dress pants, Sasuke immediately stepped out of the closet at the sound of Naruto's tone. Was Naruto having second thoughts? With a concerned crease forming on his brow, Sasuke approached him.

"I'm not angry. I'm just… I don't know. " Naruto finally raised his head. The room started to spin from the booze and he closed his eyes trying to slow it. When he opened them, he swallowed hard at the sight in front of him.

Sasuke was next to him, bent down and pouring himself a glass of whiskey. Naruto's breath caught at the sight of the Uchiha's bare chest. He bit his lip as he watched Sasuke's muscles flex and twitch with every movement. The sinewy play displayed in front of him, made the words Naruto had at the ready, stick in his throat. From his back, to his biceps and throughout the expanse of his hard chest, Sasuke's smooth, milky skin clung to each ridge of muscle and danced with every shift of his body.

Naruto's eyes hungrily followed Sasuke's body. The alcohol hadn't yet deadened all of his thoughts, though he had given it his best effort. This man. This Uchiha in front of him was making his body shake with need. Just what the fuck was happening to him? The women in his life had never made him feel like this. This intensity was confusing Naruto. In all his life, he had never looked at a man this way. Hell, he had never looked at anyone the way he was now looking at Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto felt a low heat building in his groin. Trying to stay focused, he took the last swig of his drink. Forcing his eyes away from man in front of him, he began to examine his empty glass.

Sasuke stood up and found the blue-eyed man trying to resist meeting his gaze. Naruto's reddened face could have been from the alcohol but judging by the way he was scrutinizing the crystal in his hand, Sasuke knew better. He took a sip from his own glass and let a small smile lift the corner of his mouth.

"You never told me why." The alcohol helped Naruto voice the words he had been mulling over all night. "Tell me now, Sasuke. Why?" Then, betraying his wishes, Naruto's eyes lifted to meet the dark pools that were already locked on him.

"Naruto… " Sensing the dismissive tone in Sasuke's voice, Naruto cut him off.

"No, Sasuke. I know what this is. I get it. But why go through all the trouble? The clothes, the shoes, the hotel room... real smooth by the way, nobody was fooled." Naruto could feel his blood heating. Sasuke was too close. He needed to be able to think. "What did you… I mean is this your thing? Your hobby? You occasionally go out and find some common street thug to clean up and seduce?"

Naruto's eyes burned as he watched Sasuke consider his words but the Uchiha gave nothing away. That beautiful impenetrable mask firmly in place, making Naruto fight the urge to break his seemingly impassive vener. Maybe he really was here to be some sort of plaything for him. Another luxury of the wealthy. Naruto weighed the idea for a moment. He and Gaara were still planning to leave for California in a matter of months. It's not like he had even considered this, whatever this is with Sasuke, to be any kind of permanent thing. So really, did he even have a right to act so indignant?

"And tonight, Sasuke. They tried to... and we could've been… " Naruto scrubbed his face with his hands and ran his fingers through his hair not really knowing what he was trying to say. The alcohol was making it hard for him to think. It wasn't the first time he'd almost been killed, but it was the first time it would be because of his dick.

Not wanting to dwell too hard on why Sasuke had brought out these new accusatory emotions, Naruto leaned forward to reach for whiskey decanter. Sasuke caught him by the wrist. Lowering himself to sit on the table in front of Naruto, he faced Naruto's blazing blue eyes directly.

Sasuke's eyes softened for a moment. He knew the blond was still reeling from their earlier brush with the hitmen but he would deal with that subject later. "Would my answer change anything?" He gripped Naruto's wrist but kept their hands resting on his knee to prevent Naruto from pulling back. "Whether you're the first or the hundredth, would you leave at my answer?"

The heat of Sasuke's touch set Naruto's skin bristling. "No," he breathed.

Sasuke set his glass down and took Naruto's glass from him as well. He pulled at the tan wrist and hooking his right hand under Naruto's knee, he tugged the blond's body closer to his. Leaning into Naruto, Sasuke tilted his head to bring his mouth in close. Their lips now almost touching, Naruto shuddered.

Teasing Naruto's soft lips, Sasuke brushed them lightly with his own, feeling the hot breath escaping from the boy's parted mouth. "I never thought of you as common." The vibration of Sasuke's voice against his lips went straight to Naruto's cock and a breathy groan left his throat.

In an instant, Sasuke released Naruto's wrist and pulled back from him. Standing up, he let out a soft laugh. "I need to shower."

Before Sasuke reached the washroom, Naruto was on him and slamming him hard up against the wall. "Bastard." Naruto pinned the pale wrists to the wall and used his leg to shove Sasuke's knees apart and slide his thigh between them, grinding his already hard erection against Sasuke's own.

Both men moaned as Naruto used his whole body to flatten the Uchiha to the wall. Increasing the pressure, he flexed his hips harshly against him and reveled in the sounds that escaped the pale throat in front of him. Lowering his mouth to the Uchiha's neck, Naruto bit down hard at its base, causing Sasuke to arch up into the assaulting mouth.

"Tell me why, Sasuke." Naruto growled, scraping his teeth along the smooth neck and pushing Sasuke's wrists harder into the wall. The booze had finally worked. Naruto felt no desire to hold back as he ran his tongue down Sasuke's neck and sucked hard, marking it for his own.

Sasuke let out a low grunt. "For the same reason you followed me into the club." Naruto lifted his head to meet Sasuke's glazed black eyes. "For the same reason you let me dress you up."

Gritting his words, Sasuke smiled ferally at the blond. "For the same reason you have me pressed up against this wall."

Naruto's hands released their vise and dove into Sasuke's black locks, yanking his mouth forcefully down on his.

Sasuke met his kiss with equal ferocity. Groaning, his tongue delved deep into Naruto's mouth matching each lick and every bite. Sasuke sucked hard on his tongue and Naruto responded by biting his lower lip. Sasuke slid his tongue against Naruto's only to have the blond vigorously lathe his own in return. The power play between them built into a frenzy until they broke the kiss, gasping for air, only to continue again with their hungry exploration of each other's mouths.

The raw power of Naruto was something Sasuke had expected from the blond. But as soon as he was able to pull it out of Naruto, Sasuke realized just how overwhelming it was. He had wanted to try and make him cede to all of his desires but now feeling the force of the man's fervor, Sasuke wondered if the blond would ever truly break. The need to find out sent a fire straight to Sasuke's dick, pooling there and urging him on.

His hands now free, Sasuke gripped the tight mounds of Naruto's ass, lifting him and bringing him firmly against his now hard and dripping erection. Using this leverage, he moved slightly forward and spun Naruto, reversing their positions and savagely throwing the blond hard against the wall.

"Uunngghh… " Naruto hit the wall and arched into Sasuke, breaking their kiss. The brute force making him writhe against Sasuke in pleasure.

Sasuke pulled off Naruto's tank top and they both hissed as their hot skin met. Naruto's hands palmed the wall trying to brace himself as Sasuke's hands and mouth explored every inch of his chest. Licking and biting Naruto's skin, Sasuke found one his tan nipples and pinched it between his fingers. Keeping his eyes glued to the blond's face, he relished the ecstasy he saw twisting in his expression.

"Oh my God, Sasuke… " Sasuke didn't relent. His mouth sucked hard on the other tan nipple, pulling at it and letting his teeth scrape against it as his mouth slowly let it go. "Oh, fuck!" Reaching down, he grabbed Naruto's cock and began to stroke him over his pants. Naruto thrust his hips into each stroke and clawed at Sasuke's back, drawing blood and making Sasuke growl.

Naruto's reaction to his painful teasings made Sasuke's heart pound and his cock drip profusely. The boy liked it rough. God, how he had known it. From their first meeting. That flash of defiance. This is what Sasuke had wanted to rip from the blond the moment their eyes had first locked.

Grabbing Naruto's wrists, he pinned the blond to the wall and pressed hard against him. He could feel the dampness from both their leaking erections as he thrust his hips up, slamming his waist against Naruto's. His black eyes now burning with lust as he pulled back just enough to catch Naruto's deep blue eyes with his own. Breathless and sweating, Sasuke held the man's gaze. "What do _you_ want, Naruto?"

Lowering his head, Sasuke brought his mouth down onto the tan neck, sucking and biting slowly down the sweep of it. Flattening his tongue he licked the base of his throat and trailed it up to Naruto's chin and then bit the edge of his jaw hard.

"Fuck!" Naruto's hips bucked and his eyes rolled back at the sensation. Naruto's mind tried to hold onto something, anything. But the pleasure he was receiving from Sasuke's assault was driving him to the edge. He never knew sex could be this rough. It never occurred to him to try. And yet here was Sasuke, matching his aggression, his force and pushing him a little farther with every kiss, every bite. Not being able to form any words, Naruto let out a slow aching whine for more.

Sasuke brought his mouth close to Naruto's ear and nipped at the lobe. "Tell me, Naruto." Dipping his head, Sasuke bit hard on the tan shoulder before using his tongue to smooth out the pain.

Naruto arched his neck. "Please, Sasuke."

Pulling on Naruto's wrists, he yanked him off the wall, spun him around and shoved Naruto face first into the wall. Grinding his cock against Naruto's ass and fisting a hand into blond hair, he pushed the blond's face harder into the cold wall. "What do you want?"

With his mind lost between the alcohol and the desire, only one word found its way to Naruto's lips. "More."

Sasuke snapped. Holding his grip on Naruto's hair, he stepped back from him and dragged the blond man to his bed.

Sasuke climbed onto the the blood-red satin sheets, pulling Naruto with him. Throwing the boy down to his left and onto the bed, Sasuke moved in close and began to yank down Naruto's pants.

With heavy-lidded eyes, Naruto watched as Sasuke slid his pants off, freeing his now aching and dripping erection. Fighting the urge the close his eyes to the scene below, Naruto locked his gaze on the beautiful pale man with eyes lit like the night sky, slowly crawling on all fours and positioning himself between Naruto's legs.

Licking his lips, Sasuke looked up at Naruto. As if reading his thoughts, Naruto spread his knees farther apart and arched his hips upward toward Sasuke. The Uchiha moaned at the sight. Taking in the hard body spread out in front of him, Sasuke leaned in and bit the soft inside of Naruto's muscled thigh and breathed in deeply, filling his senses with Naruto's heady scent.

God, Naruto's body was impressive. Hard lines of muscles from chest to abs. His thighs clenching at every nibble of Sasuke's mouth and each touch of his fingers; enticing him with their obvious strength. Sasuke ran his hands over the muscled chest and slowly down each ridge of his abs, lower and lower before running them over his flat stomach and gripping his hands onto the strong tan hips.

Sasuke lowered his mouth to Naruto's cock and licked the precum off the tip, making Naruto groan. Fisting his hands into the satin sheets, Naruto lifted his hips to try and meet the mouth again. Sasuke gripped his waist harder and held him still, then lowered his head and took Naruto's length fully into his mouth.

The slick heat of Sasuke's mouth set Naruto's whole body aflame. "Fuck!" He threw back his head and pulled hard at the sheets beneath him. "Sasuke!"

The sound of his name being wrenched from the boy's lips only spurred him on. Sasuke took him in deeper. Naruto wasn't small; his length reaching the back of Sasuke's throat. Swallowing continuously, Sasuke kept sucking hard and then pulled out slow before swallowing him deep again. Over and over, licking and sucking the tip and then taking him in deep and repeating the slow suck and pull, all the while Naruto writhed beneath him. Sasuke's own erection now throbbing at the the sounds of rapture being ripped from the boy's throat. Suddenly, strong tan hands were fisting his hair, trying to drive Sasuke's mouth down harder.

There was no warning. Naruto's mind was simply too far gone to voice one as he came into Sasuke's mouth, his whole body bucking and eyes rolling back as a gritty scream left his lips. Spasms rocked through him as Sasuke continued to suck every last drop of his release.

Panting and still feeling the spasms of his orgasm, Naruto looked down at his lover. With his hands still fisting the dark hair, he pulled hard and lifted the Uchiha's face. The blond was breathless at the sight below him. "Sasuke." Naruto's gaze settled on the burning eyes now looking up at him. Sasuke's disheveled dark locks and flushed cheeks made Naruto's heart skip. He watched as a pink tongue darted out over the swollen red lips, moistened with cum and licked the remnants of his release from Sasuke's perfect mouth.

Still gripping his hair, Naruto pulled Sasuke harshly up to his own mouth. The kiss was exquisite. The taste of Sasuke mixed with his own was sapid. He lapped at it, tasting every hidden nook of his mouth. Between the alcohol, Sasuke's tongue and his own climax, Naruto's need to devour each flavor consumed him. Sasuke complied, letting Naruto rule the kiss and giving him no resistance to his voracity.

Sasuke pressed his hips down against Naruto and the blond hissed, his cock still sensitive. He looked down to see Sasuke's black dress pants still on. Naruto lifted his hips and pushed Sasuke off, flipping him over so that now he was straddling the Uchiha.

"Fuck." Sasuke panted and seeing Naruto's cock already beginning to grow hard. "Already recovered?"

Naruto threw him a devilish half grin. "Why? You need a break?" Before Sasuke could answer, Naruto was working on his pants. Nibbling on the flat ivory colored stomach beneath him, he fumbled with the belt for a second before he finally pulled it free and yanked hard at the button and zipper; ripping both in his frustration.

Letting out a grunt of approval, Sasuke lifted his hips, making it easier for Naruto to free him of his pants and the boxers underneath. Tossing the clothes aside, Naruto swallowed at the sight of Sasuke's naked body beneath him.

"Sasuke… " Naruto's words caught in this throat as he ran his hands over the sinewy ivory chest and down to his narrow waist. "Beautiful." Naruto looked up at Sasuke's dark eyes and bit his lip. He moved back until he was in between Sasuke's legs, slowly running his hands up the thighs to Sasuke's stomach, marveling at the way the muscles twitched at his touch.

Sasuke responded by spreading his knees farther apart and giving Naruto a lustful glare. "What do you want, Naruto?"

Naruto looked down at Sasuke's hard leaking cock. The sight of another man's dick should've fazed him but instead he found himself watching the large straining phallus below him twitch and leak, knowing it was due to Sasuke's desire of him; his matched need for him. He looked up to see Sasuke watching him with parted lips and glazed eyes. Precum now steadily dripping, Naruto reached out and palmed the head, spreading the slick wetness down Sasuke's erection. A low moan vibrated from deep within his sleek pale throat.

"I want to taste you." Naruto dropped his head and swirled his tongue around Sasuke's tip before sucking it hard making Sasuke arch up into his mouth.

"Yessssss." Sasuke gripped the red sheets as he looked down and watched the blond's pink lips swallow around him.

Naruto opened his mouth wider and slowly descended his mouth down Sasuke's cock. He had never given head before and the taste was new to him. He took him deep into his mouth and then pulled back just enough to capture the tip of Sasuke's cock with his lips before sweeping the head again with his tongue, relishing the piquancy of his lover. The deep salty flavor mixed with the provocative scent of Sasuke's skin, made Naruto hum in pleasure around the thick hard cock, making the dark haired mobster moan from the sensation.

Still unsure of himself, he worked to mimic what Sasuke had done to him, lapping the head and sucking on it hard before delving even deeper than the last time. Sasuke's girth had Naruto swallowing around the length, trying to keep his throat from gagging at the large intrusion. Each time repeating his actions, going deep then pulling out and sucking hard, only to catch the tip again before lapping it with his tongue.

Almost desperate to keep the sounds of pleasure falling from Sasuke's mouth, Naruto repeated his actions over and over and then pulled his mouth up again, letting the stiff cock fall from his lips. Looking up, his deep blue eyes locked onto Sasuke's black lust-filled depths. Without breaking his gaze Naruto used his tongue and lapped at the dripping head, sliding the tip of his tongue into the slit, trying to get every flavor of Sasuke into his mouth.

Rolling back his eyes, Sasuke moaned loudly and fisted his hands into Naruto's hair, desperately trying to restrain himself from fucking Naruto's wet, hot mouth relentlessly. He knew this was Naruto's first experience giving head and despite his compulsion to slam his dick into that pink mouth, he held back. As his restraint began to wear, Sasuke started to shake.

Trying to focus, Naruto sucked and pulled at each groan leaving Sasuke's throat, trying to draw out every sound it made again and again. As Sasuke's body began to shake, Naruto's lightly scraped his teeth along Sasuke's length and circled his tongue around the shaft. He then sucked hard as he slid his hands under the ivory colored hips. Gripping his ass, he dug his fingers into the pale mounds and slammed Sasuke deeper into his mouth.

"Naruto! Fuuuck!" Sasuke came hard as wave after wave of ecstasy flowed into Naruto's mouth. Sasuke's body arched as his hips pounded into the blond's hot mouth. Unfamiliar with the sensation, Naruto tried to swallow around Sasuke's dick while tasting the warm salty flavor that shot forth but Sasuke was big and Naruto could feel his heat at the back of his throat. Fighting for air, he pulled back and the last of Sasuke's release sprayed and dripped onto Naruto's chest.

Gasping, Sasuke looked at down and saw his cum dripping down the blond's tan chest. Naruto's blue eyes were dark but lit with a hungry glow that pulled at Sasuke. He couldn't stop his mind from going to the thought that Naruto had never been with a man until now. A sudden burning possessiveness shot through him. Reaching out a hand, he smeared his cum across tan chest and down to the blond's abs and stomach.

Glazed, Naruto stared back at him; lips swollen and his pulse spiking at Sasuke's marking of him. Crawling forward he moved above Sasuke, slowly lowering himself and latched his mouth onto his.

Sasuke ravaged Naruto's mouth. Arms still weak from being spent, Sasuke could only muster enough strength to dive his tongue ferociously into the hot mouth against his. Sasuke was insatiable for the sweet flavor of Naruto that was now fused with his own essence.

Naruto pulled back and lowered his lips to Sasuke's chest. Nipping and sucking each ridge of muscle, His tongue caught a light pink nipple with his lips and he swirled his tongue around it.

Having his strength returning to his arms, Sasuke laced his fingers through the soft blond locks of his lover and closed his eyes, giving himself over to the pleasure of Naruto's mouth roaming over his chest.

Sucking hard on the nipple, Naruto bit it; softly at first, watching Sasuke's body react with a soft grinding of his hips. Then he bit down harder, pinching the nipple harshly between his teeth before looking up to see Sasuke throw back his head and arch in pleasure.

Sasuke let out a loud groan and fisting his hair, yanked Naruto's head up. Looking down he could see the damn blond smiling smugly back at him. Feeling his hardness growing again and his energy returning, Sasuke pulled Naruto off him and threw him down to the bed beside him, flipping their positions.

Straddling Naruto and pinning the boy's hands over his head, Sasuke looked into the blue eyes and searched for any sign of doubt. His restraint was being pushed to its limit. As much as he wanted to forgo the foreplay he knew Naruto was not prepared for what came next.

He had never needed to hold back with his previous lovers. But then again, none of his previous lovers had enthralled Sasuke the way this blond had. Despite his impatience, Sasuke wanted to take his time with Naruto. He had always taken what he wanted from the men he had shared his bed with, only to quietly dismiss them the next morning but with Naruto, there was this unfamiliar urge to thoroughly possess him. His desire to pull as much pleasure as he could from the boy was beginning to consume him. And if he were honest with himself, the feeling had taken him a bit by surprise.

"Naruto… " Nuzzling his face into Naruto's neck, Sasuke tried to find the words he needed the boy to hear. "I can't… I don't want to hold back any longer." He kissed the tan neck and bit the hot flesh just below Naruto's ear.

Flexing his hips up against Sasuke, Naruto let out a small moan. "Sasuke." Naruto searched for the words. His mind raced with thoughts of Sasuke. The way he tasted and the sounds that had poured from his beautiful throat when Naruto pleasured him with his mouth. The way the man pushed at his patience. Even the way he quietly regarded Naruto when he thought the blond wasn't paying attention.

He knew he wanted more. He knew what came next. He knew exactly what Sasuke was trying to ask. "I… it's just that... " Naruto swallowed; his heart pounding and his cock jumped as his mind went to exactly what he knew would come next. "I don't know… "

Sasuke looked up and met Naruto's eyes. If the boy was unsure, he wouldn't force him. As painful as it would be to walk away now, he would let the boy leave if that's what he wanted. Sasuke may have always taken what he wanted from his previous lovers but he had never once been forceful with anyone who wasn't already compliant.

"I've never…" Naruto lowered his eyes from Sasuke's piercing gaze. Biting his lip, Naruto forced himself to meet the Uchiha's deep stare. "I'm just not sure how to… "

Bringing his mouth roughly down onto Naruto's, Sasuke cut the boy's words off. He kissed him deeply and ruthlessly. The knowledge that Naruto was nervous and apprehensive about the mechanics of what was going to happen next, pushed harder at Sasuke's desire for him. The blond was no innocent, of that Sasuke was sure but to know that Naruto was simply embarrassed by his lack of experience with a man, relieved Sasuke and tugged yet again at his growing possessiveness of the blond haired boy.

"I can fix that." Releasing his hold, Sasuke lifted himself up and moved to the side of the bed. Reaching into the nightstand he pulled out a jar and came back to where Naruto was lying. He tossed the jar onto the pillow next to him and leaned back in to kiss Naruto. The blond immediately responded.

Reaching one hand down to Naruto's now growing length, Sasuke began to stroke him while he kissed him. Naruto moaned and began to arch into his hand as he gripped the silk sheets. Breaking their kiss and releasing Naruto, Sasuke grabbed the jar and moved over him, positioning himself between his strong tan legs. He moved up to again kiss Naruto knowing that driving the blond to distraction would help. He plunged his tongue into his mouth and nipped harshly on his lower lip. Naruto, thrust up into Sasuke's body at the pain and groaned.

Trying to fight against his desire to hurry, Sasuke brought his mouth down to Naruto's neck. Grinding his teeth into the heated flesh. Biting down, Sasuke received a short cry from Naruto's throat as his reward and watched as the blond began to writhe and dig his heels into the bed from the onslaught of Sasuke's talented mouth.

Lower and lower Sasuke trailed his tongue and mouth, sucking and biting as he went while slowly pumping his cock now drenched with precum. He could still taste his earlier marking on the boy's chest and let out a low growl at the taste of it. Stopping to tease the pebbled nipples with his tongue, he relished the payback as he softly sucked on one and then bit hard down on it.

Naruto's eyes shot open at the pain. "Fuck!" His hands found Sasuke's dark hair and he laced his fingers through the softness before gripping the hair tightly and lifting the Uchiha's head up. Sasuke smirked at Naruto's glazed eyes. "More."

Needing no other encouragement, Sasuke's mouth found the other nipple and brought it between his lips, sucked hard on it and then bit down.

"Nnnuugggh!" Naruto lifted his hips, lifting Sasuke with him and threw back his head. The pleasure he found in the pain was something new to Naruto and he wanted more of it.

Sasuke moved lower, settling himself between his legs. He bent down and licked the precum from the leaking head while keeping his eyes fixed on Naruto. He saw the blond roll his eyes back and grip the satin sheets, twisting from the pleasure. Sasuke was enthralled by watching Naruto shamelessly give into every sensation. The boy continued to writhe and Sasuke licked his lips at the sight.

Holding his restraint in check, Sasuke opened the jar he had taken from the nightstand. Lowering his mouth onto Naruto's now stiff erection, he simultaneously coated his fingers in the viscous gel from the jar while he sucked hard on the tip of Naruto's leaking cock. Naruto let out a deep groan at the feel of Sasuke's hot mouth sucking the head of his dick once more.

With his other hand Sasuke gently pushed Naruto's legs farther apart. Then briefly letting Naruto slide from his mouth, he placed one hand on the blond's stiff erection, stroking him while the other found the crease of his ass and slid in. Gently, Sasuke pressed one of his lubed fingers at his entrance, alerting Naruto of its presence.

Naruto knew what was coming but nothing had prepared him for the feeling of Sasuke's finger against his entrance. A light blush rose in his cheeks at the intimacy of it. Biting his lip, he looked down to see Sasuke's lust filled eyes burning up at him. The gaze filled him with reassurance and he nodded in compliance. He tensed slightly and waited. Staring up he noticed something protruding from the ceiling above Sasuke's bed. As his mind began to speculate what it could be, Sasuke slipped a finger deep into him and his mind went blank.

With his eyes locked on Naruto, Sasuke pressed harder and slid a finger into his entrance.

Naruto hissed at the stinging intrusion and clenched while Sasuke moaned at the heat that enveloped his finger. Sasuke kept his hand stroking Naruto's cock as he used his finger to stretch the tight muscles of his entrance. The tight heat of Naruto had him lowering his head onto the tan stomach to rest his forehead, craving to feel that tight heat wrapped around his dick.

Steadying himself and wanting to keep distracting the boy, Sasuke leaned farther down and took Naruto's erection into his mouth again. He watched as Naruto responded by loosening his grip on the sheets and relaxing slightly to his intruding finger.

Sasuke pressed another digit against Naruto's entrance. Looking up he saw Naruto close his eyes and writhe.

"Go." Naruto gritted through his clenched teeth and tried to breathe as the second finger slid into him. The sensation was maddening. Naruto found himself biting his lip from the pain while at the same time fighting the urge to scream out for more. How could something so painful feel so good? He looked down at Sasuke and a heavy tightness built in his chest at the sight below him. The man from his darkest fantasies had his mouth around his dick and was working his ass in a way Naruto could never have imagined taking pleasure in until now. When he felt Sasuke press yet another finger at his entrance, Naruto's body arched taut and his hips began thrusting into Sasuke's hand. "Don't stop."

Naruto felt the third finger enter him and squeezed his eyes shut. The pain was almost too much but the pleasure just underneath was what he tried to focus on. "Sasuke!" He hadn't meant it to come out like a begging but it had. He was grinding against Sasuke's fingers, now deep inside him, stretching him, and begging for him to give him more. Any shame Naruto had left, vanished as he let out a loud and long husky moan.

Just as Naruto thought he wouldn't be able to take it anymore, he felt Sasuke's fingers shift. Grunting at the movement, Naruto tensed. Sasuke continued to move his fingers deeper, angling them to and fro. Palming the bed, Naruto hitched his breath at the action and wondered just how deep Sasuke was trying to push into him when one of the fingers turned and brushed against his prostate, sending a shockwave of pleasure shooting through him.

Naruto screamed.

Sasuke watched as Naruto let out a sharp throaty scream. Wildly, Naruto pushed his hips hard into Sasuke's hand and came with tremendous force. As the boy bucked and spasmed from his orgasm, Sasuke held his lips fast around his cock, tasting every last drop. The boy was now shaking and yet still grinding against Sasuke's questing fingers. Sasuke was now shaking with restraint.

Not able to hold himself back anymore, Sasuke lifted his mouth off of Naruto. When he pulled his fingers out, the boy let out a breathy moan. Coating his aching erection with the gel, Sasuke took hold of Naruto's waist.

Still spinning from the unbelievable rapture of what Sasuke had done to him, Naruto looked down and saw Sasuke grip his hips. As he felt himself being pulled down, his heart began to race.

"Naruto." Sasuke met Naruto's gaze and they both stared at each other, breathless and trembling. Naruto's lips were parted and his eyes were dark like the sea. Sasuke couldn't believe how breathtaking the blond was. Not able to express it, he pulled at the boy and lifted his hips slightly. Pressing the head of his cock at Naruto's entrance, he watched Naruto's face for hesitation.

Feeling Sasuke's length at his entrance, waiting for permission, sent a delicious heat through Naruto. His mind now long silent with questions of sexuality and doubt, Naruto only knew of one thing for sure, he wanted Uchiha Sasuke. He wanted all of him. Lifting his hips toward Sasuke in acceptance, Naruto met his gaze.

Sasuke pushed his cock into Naruto and both men groaned as his entire length delved deep into him. The tightness of Naruto combined with the heat now enveloping his dick made Sasuke shudder with pleasure. "Fuck, Naruto." Now fully seated, Sasuke tried hold still and breathe to allow Naruto a moment to adjust.

Clenching his jaw and ripping the sheets beneath him, Naruto tried to work his lungs. Sasuke was inside him. Being filled by his girth was overwhelming and the mixture of pain and pleasure swam through him. The width of Sasuke was too much and Naruto felt his eyes clamp shut at the pain of being stretched so wide. Finally he let out a deep breath and tried to relax.

He could feel Sasuke waiting on him and opened his eyes. The sight of the dark Uchiha poised over him made his stomach flip. Rich dark hair, sweaty and tousled about barely covered Sasuke's face; now twisted in pure pleasure. His black eyes shone like burning coal and were glued to Naruto. Sasuke had never looked more beautiful. As his body began to relax to the intrusion, Naruto slid one leg around Sasuke's waist and pulled him forward.

Sweating and shaking from trying to hold back, Sasuke pulled out slow and then again pushed his length deep into Naruto. Naruto let out another loud groan and Sasuke saw him tense from the movement. After a moment the blond relaxed slightly and Sasuke began to move more steadily.

Naruto felt breathless by the feeling of Sasuke moving inside him. The pain was subsiding and Naruto had to remind himself to breathe. Watching his lover groan over him from pleasure and restraint, sent Naruto into a delicious frenzy. As Sasuke increased his pace, Naruto began to arch his hips to meet Sasuke's thrusts, trying to feel more of him. He moved his arms over his head, reaching out, trying to feel for the headboard but only grasping air. Not satisfied, Naruto reached down and gripped Sasuke's arms hard and used the leverage to forcefully slam his hips into Sasuke's thrusts.

"Oh shit! Fuck!" Sasuke felt himself coming close to release when Naruto began slamming himself into him. Trying to stave off his climax, he slowed his movements and angled Naruto's hips, before pushing into him again and trying to find the sweet spot he knew would help the boy come first. He pulled part way out and pushed in again and watched as Naruto threw his head back letting multiple curses fall from his mouth.

Having found the spot, Sasuke grabbed one of Naruto's legs, lifted it up over his shoulder and aiming for that same spot, began ruthlessly pounding into the blond.

"Sasuke! Yes!" Naruto's eyes widened and his breath caught when he felt Sasuke suddenly drive deeper and harder into him as that same shot of pleasure continuously surged through him over and over. One of Sasuke's hands begin to stroke Naruto's erection trying to match the tempo of his thrusts and Naruto viced his hands tighter on Sasuke's arms, yanking him to push into him harder. "Don't stop! Harder, Sasuke!"

Hearing Naruto's pleas drove Sasuke on. Harder and harder he slammed into the blond and was met with equal force from the boy beneath him. Not sure how much longer he could keep up the pace, Sasuke leaned down and took one of Naruto's nipples into his mouth, sucking it hard right before biting down on it.

"Aaaggghh fuck! Sasuke!" Naruto's third orgasm rocked through him. Bucking and lifting his hips high as his whole body arched, he threw back his head as a deep low scream left his lips. He felt himself empty all over his stomach and into Sasuke's hand as his body continued to spasm and his heels dug madly into the mattress.

Spent and breathless, Naruto's hands were still clenched tight around the strong pale arms gripping his leg and waist. Straining, he pulled on the arms and lifted his head when he heard Sasuke yell out his name and watched as the Uchiha lost himself in his own orgasm.

Just as Naruto climaxed, Sasuke felt the ring of muscles around his cock clench hard. Below him Naruto was spasming and calling out his name. From the sight of the blond and the tightened clasp around his dick, Sasuke was pushed over the edge. He threw back his head and called out to the boy twisting beneath him. "Naruto!"

Naruto fixed his eyes on the view above him. The usually stoic Uchiha was now completely rapt in ecstasy. His neck muscles strained while his chest flexed and contorted as he orgasmed. But it was Sasuke's face that took Naruto's breath away. The normally calm veneer of the Uchiha had thoroughly cracked. His face was completely flushed and twisted in unbridled pleasure as he bit down hard on his lip, drawing blood. The brutal bite was fruitless and did nothing to quiet the rugged moans escaping from his smooth white throat.

Sweaty and panting, Sasuke seared his black eyes into Naruto's deep blue's as his hips continued to buck while the last of his release emptied into the blond. Moaning at the sensation of the delicious heat flooding into him, Naruto then reached out a hand to Sasuke's face and lightly brushed one of his fingers over his bleeding lip. Sasuke opened his mouth and took the finger into his mouth, sucking the blood off it causing yet another groan of pleasure to escape the blond's mouth.

With his eyes locked on the dark ones above him, Naruto could easily read the lust and satisfaction in them but just behind that he thought he glimpsed a darkness that made his heart skip. He had known the Uchiha was dangerous and that this little tryst could end up getting complicated but as he saw a subtle flash of possessiveness pass through Sasuke's eyes, Naruto briefly wondered if he had gotten in over his head.

Still breathing hard, Sasuke released Naruto's leg, letting it drop from his shoulder. Slowly he fell forward trying to brace himself on shaky arms so as not crush the boy. Bringing himself down on the side of Naruto, he slid out of the blond.

Naruto lay on his back, breathing heavily and staring at the ceiling not trusting himself to speak. He closed his eyes, savoring the high of his climax. The sex had been mind-blowing. Naruto had had lovers before but nothing had ever been so earth shattering as what he had just shared with Sasuke.

His emotions felt so close to the surface. Before he could stop himself, questions about what happens now and what had happened in the club, along with a myriad of others, crowded his mind. He tried to push them away. Remembering himself, he opened his eyes.

California was waiting for him and Gaara. All this was only temporary. If Sasuke decided brush him off after this, Naruto could live with that. Even though this had been the most amazing sex he'd ever had, it wasn't like he was in love with the man. Besides, he thought, walking away from the Uchiha was probably best. It was a dangerous life the man lived and Naruto had had enough of it. California was his and Gaara's chance out. Now was not the time to get mixed up in whatever had gone down at the club.

"I can hear you thinking." Naruto turned his head to find Sasuke staring at him. Some of the softness had left his face and Naruto could see his stoic mask slowly returning.

"I was thinking I should go check on Gaara." It was partially true. He was worried about his friend.

"Hn." Sasuke knew that the blond was holding back. While he didn't question the blond's concern for his friend, he knew that wasn't entirely what the boy had been deeply contemplating only a moment ago. "You can call him if you like."

Naruto smirked at the Uchiha. "Not ready to get rid of me just yet?"

Rolling onto the boy in one swift motion, Sasuke straddled him and pressed himself firmly against the hard tan body beneath him. He leaned down and kissed Naruto hard while grinding his growing erection against him. "Do you want to leave?" Sasuke broke the kiss and grinned smugly at Naruto.

Fisting his hands into Sasuke's black hair, he pulled his head back, exposing that beautiful sleek neck and bit down hard on it. "Bastard."

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 **A/N -** Will Sasuke break his one night only rule? Will Naruto and Gaara end up working for the Uchiha and give up their dream of starting over in California? Will we ever get to see just what's happening in the hotel room with Gaara and Sakura? YES to the last question! And the rest will have to wait for now. Also, I start classes on Monday folks. I know, and I'm really sorry that these chapters won't be showing up with the same frequency as they have been but I promise that every free second of my time that's not spent at work or at school, I will be getting the next chapter ready for you all. Thanks for sticking around and I hope you're enjoying the story! Happy New Year!


	5. Chapter 5: Things said and unsaid

**Warning:** **YAOI, BOYxBOY** for the first half of this chapter as we pick up where we left off with Naruto in Sasuke's suite. If you don't like **BoyXBoy** , then please go find another story to read. Seriously. I'll wait. Go on…

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own Naruto. I get no money for what I write, just the simple joy of doing it is my reward.

 **A/N:** Okay, this chapter was reaching close to 12k words so I had no choice but to split it up. There was just too much to cover between the redhead and The Pink Lady that I wasn't able to get to it all in one chapter alone. For those of you who left me comments about Gaara and Sakura, well, all I can say is I really want to bring both these the characters out more fully so this is how I'm bringing it. I hope you all enjoy!

And as always, many thanks and much love to my **AMAZING BETA, KIZUKATANA!** Thanks for always coming through with the help and the awesome edits!

 **Chapter 5: Things said and unsaid**

* * *

 _"I can hear you thinking." Naruto turned his head to find Sasuke staring at him. Some of the softness had left his face and Naruto could see his stoic mask returning._

 _"I was thinking I should go check on Gaara." It was partially true. He was worried about his friend._

 _"Hn." Sasuke knew that the blond was holding back. While he didn't question the blond's concern for his friend, he knew that wasn't entirely what the boy had been deeply contemplating only a moment ago. "You can call him if you like."_

 _Naruto smirked at the Uchiha. "Not ready to get rid of me just yet?"_

 _Rolling onto the boy in one swift motion, Sasuke straddled him and pressed himself firmly against the hard tan body beneath him. He leaned down and kissed Naruto hard while grinding his growing erection against him. "Do you want to leave?" Sasuke broke the kiss and grinned smugly at Naruto._

 _Fisting his hands into Sasuke's black hair, he pulled his head back, exposing that beautiful sleek neck and bit down hard on it. "Bastard."_

Sasuke growled at Naruto's attack to his neck. The blond was deliberately trying to goad him. With every touch and each bite, Sasuke could feel Naruto trying to escalate things, taking more, giving more, pushing Sasuke and aggressively trying to get the mobster to push back. Sasuke relished the thought that he had unleashed the boy's passion so completely and that all the doubts he had earlier witnessed were now gone from the deep blues of the boy's eyes.

Before Naruto, Sasuke had always been the aggressor. His lovers had always given into his demands and submitted to whatever he asked of them. In fact, if Sasuke was honest, his previous one night affairs had gotten a bit boring. Eventually they had all been reduced to nothing more than stress relievers by the time of his last lover over six months ago. There was no challenge to them. Without any surprises or full-tilt passion to satisfy him, sex had begun to feel more like a chore rather than an enjoyment.

But the blond had changed that. Sasuke was harder and more rapacious than he could ever remember being. Naruto's untamed hunger for him drove Sasuke into heady state making him want to lose himself in the boy for as long as he could and to break his one night only rule. Silently, Sasuke fought against these desperate thoughts. As Naruto's mouth kept at its ravenous pace, the seasoned mobster felt his long-held tenets begin to crack.

Naruto gripped his hair even tighter and Sasuke closed his eyes to the painful pleasure, knowing that Naruto was trying to forcefully pull another response from him.

Naruto's mouth and teeth nipped and sucked on the pale ridge of Sasuke's clavicle bone, following it with his tongue from the shoulder to the base of his neck. His other hand found one of his nipples and greedily pulled and pinched it hard. Groaning with pleasure, Sasuke felt his cock jump at the blond's ministrations and at the thought of pounding his cock into him again.

With his hands still on either side of Naruto's head, Sasuke lowered himself and flexed his hips harshly, driving his dick forcefully against Naruto's.

Arching and releasing his grip on Sasuke's hair in response, Naruto reached down grabbed hold of his narrow hips. With precum slicked between them, he pulled and tugged Sasuke's waist, creating more friction as they ground against each other.

Sasuke lowered his head and claimed Naruto's mouth with his own. No longer drunk, Naruto gave in completely to the force of Sasuke's kiss. He gave into his lust, to his desire and to his increasing need for the dangerous man now writhing above him.

Naruto couldn't get enough. Wanting only to feel every sensation of Sasuke, he spread his legs wider and moved his hands up the broad back. Tasting him with his mouth and running his hands over his sleek ivory skin and sinewy muscles, had Naruto's mind lost in ecstasy. The power and passion of Sasuke was spellbinding. Digging his nails into the soft pale skin, the blond pulled the man forcefully to him. Urging him, begging him with his hands to steal his breath by letting his weight envelope Naruto completely.

Sasuke complied and used his body to push Naruto harder into the mattress. Responding to the exquisite pressure of the Uchiha's body fully pressed against his, Naruto let out a deep low whine as his hips continued to thrust up against Sasuke.

With his tongue hungrily searching Sasuke's mouth, Naruto began to feel desperate for some kind of reprieve or absolution to the insanity he was now willingly giving himself over to. He needed something, anything he could hold onto that would explain his insatiable need for the Uchiha. Driving his tongue deeper into Sasuke's mouth, he then pulled back and bit him harshly on his lower lip. Sasuke let out a loud grunt and snapped his hips hard against Naruto's aching erection in response.

Naruto's body screamed in pleasure as his mind tried to dispel the nagging feeling that he would never be able to hold onto the Uchiha and fully make him his own. Gripping tighter and savagely kissing Sasuke, Naruto increase the pace of his hips.

Breaking their kiss, Sasuke buried his face in Naruto's neck. The blond let his head fall back, giving his lover full access to his throat. Sasuke kissed the tan skin lightly, moving lower to the base of his neck slowly, only to then suck hard on the skin there and mark it ruthlessly.

Naruto's whole body arched in pleasure at the Uchiha's possessive marking of him. "Sasuke… " Not being able to convey it in words, Naruto simply fisted his hands into Sasuke's hair, pulling him in closer. He yanked Sasuke's mouth more firmly to his throat, trying to encourage him to suck harder and use more force. Sasuke's mouth clamped down, sucking and biting harshly onto the tan neck. With eyes rolling back, Naruto gave out a loud moan. "God, yesss… "

Almost frantic for each other, Sasuke found Naruto's mouth again. The two men continued to kiss and writhe, grinding against one another as if trying to quench an emotion neither one could name. Amongst the fire there was an unexpected familiarity that pulled at them both. A need to bind themselves to each other that went beyond the bounds of the one-night-stand that it was supposed to be. That same dark possessiveness once again rising to the surface as they both tried desperately to name it while at the same time push it away.

Both feeling their release close, neither was willing to break the kiss or pull back from the others body. Rapturous and lost within their desire for each other, they held to their frenzied pace. Mouths locked and hips thrusting, both men came hard; their warm seed emptying between them as they moaned and cursed into each other's mouth, shuddering and riding out each wave of their climax.

Shaking and breathing hard as the last of his release pooled between both of them, Sasuke looked down at the radiant blue eyes beneath him. Panting and not saying a word, they locked eyes and took in the sight of one another

Naruto marveled at Sasuke's beauty and the way he had given every ounce of his passion over to the blond without hesitation. Sasuke had managed to be fierce and gentle all at the same time, leaving Naruto thoroughly enthralled.

Sasuke could only stare in wonder at the depth of the boy beneath him. So willing and yet never once weak or submissive. Naruto had managed to give in to Sasuke's aggression without ever fully breaking. Instead he had tried to match him, leaving the man to wonder just how long it would take to fully expose all there was to the blond. So help him, he found himself fighting the urge to shove his one night only rule to the side and ask the boy to stay. For how long he didn't know. But staring at Naruto's blue eyes and open face, he knew just one more night would never be enough.

His shaking arms finally giving out, Sasuke finally relented and slowly slid off of Naruto and onto his back, laying there for a moment and enjoying the fading rush of his orgasm. When he felt his strength returning, Sasuke turned on his side to face Naruto and the blond turned to meet his gaze.

Leaning in, he kissed Naruto deeply, letting his tongue play slow and deep with Naruto's before pulling back and letting his lips brush against the light pink ones of his lover. "Let's shower first. Then you can call Gaara."

Humming in agreement against Sasuke's mouth, Naruto's hand reached out and slid slowly down the pale sweep of Sasuke's side, caressing him, letting his fingers play with each ridge of muscle and bone. As he rested his hand on Sasuke's lean hip, waiting for him to pull away and head to the washroom, Naruto's eyes flicked open and he pulled back to stare at Sasuke in sudden realization.

Before he could stop himself, Sasuke broke into a full smile and laughed. There was no smugness or mockery in his eyes, only sincere amusement at the blond's slow uptake.

Taken back by Sasuke's beautiful smile, Naruto ignored the fact that he was again being laughed at. As he lay there witnessing a rare warm light dancing in the eyes of the Uchiha, Naruto let out a laugh and stared back at the alluring man, trying to think of anything other than the pangs thrumming in his chest.

Lifting himself off the bed, Sasuke tugged on the boy's arm to follow him. Once Naruto started to move, soreness and the distinct feeling of something dripping down his thighs became more evident. Grimacing at the ache deep within him, he hitched his steps slightly and tried his best to follow his lover to the toward the bathroom.

Sasuke looked at the boy's uncomfortable expression and took hold of his wrist to gently guide the blond to the bathroom and then stopped when noticed the red abrasions and cuts on his knuckles.

Naruto followed Sasuke's gaze and tried to tug his hand away but Sasuke gripped his wrist tighter.

"It's fine. It doesn't even hurt." Naruto flashed his blue eyes at the Uchiha when he saw a small frown form on his lips. "It's not like this was my first fight."

"Hn." Sasuke turned again toward the washroom and pulled Naruto with him. Letting go of the boy's hand, Sasuke sat down on the edge of the Victorian tub and turned the water on to warm. He turned back to face Naruto and took hold of his hips, pulling him close.

Running his hands over the hard tan stomach in front of him, Sasuke leaned in and began to kiss the warm flesh of Naruto's hip. Looking up, he saw the blond's head fall back just as strong hands fisted into his hair.

Still kissing and softly nipping the tan abs in front of him, Sasuke kept his eyes locked on the man above him; again struck by the boy's almost instant willingness to give into his desires. Not only had Naruto never had a male lover until now but the boy seemed to give into Sasuke's advances without holding himself back. The same way he had thrown himself head first into the fray at the club was the way he had matched Sasuke's passion during sex.

Seeing more clearly the bruises on the sides of the blond's stomach and chest where Naruto had taken the hits from Sasuke's attacker, he slowly ran his hands over each purpling mark, following each touch with his mouth. First with his tongue and then a hard suck directly over it, completely enthralled as he watched the boy arched in pleasure as he simultaneously winced in pain.

Naruto lowered his head and met Sasuke's watchful gaze. Mesmerized by the dark blue eyes over him, Sasuke again found himself arguing with the part of himself that wanted the blond for another night. He knew he had already made up his mind to hire Naruto and Gaara but still his mind persisted with its impetuous debate.

"Something's bothering you." Naruto could read the Uchiha's eyes. "Are you thinking about what happened in the club tonight?"

Naruto held his breath. He wasn't sure why he was hoping it was Sasuke's concern about the chaos that had erupted in the nightclub that was now causing the shadow to form on his face. The knot that had begun to twist in his stomach from the knowledge that tonight was all there would be between him and Sasuke, pulled harder as he held his breath waiting for an answer.

Of course, he was no fool. He had known from the moment Sasuke invited them into the club that the Uchiha was only interested in him for one night. Like any nagging question in your head, it's usually the one you already knew the answer to.

Naruto's apprehension at accepting Sasuke's invitation hadn't only been due to Naruto's nervousness about being with a man. It was also due in part to Naruto's strange desire for the mobster. The pull was strong. It had sucker punched him, leaving the blond questioning more than just his sexuality.

It was infinitely stronger than when he had been with Konan. Walking away from Konon had been hard but Naruto had always felt she hadn't cared for him as deeply as he had for her. When she had come to him to say goodbye, Naruto had already felt her pulling back from him days if not weeks prior and the goodbye had not been a surprise. With Sasuke, the idea of saying goodbye twisted the now large knotted feeling in his gut.

"We'll deal with all that soon enough." Sasuke's hands left Naruto's hips as he swung his legs over the edge and into the tub to stand up. He then held out a hand and motioned for Naruto to join him.

Reaching out a hand to Sasuke to help steady himself, Naruto climbed into the warm soothing water. Immediately he felt the hot steam begin to relax his muscles. Sasuke reached up to the copper piping and pulled a lever causing the water to spray down onto both of them.

Taking a washcloth he grabbed the nearby soap and began to lather the cloth. Turning to his lover, he faced him and started with his neck and shoulders, slowly circling and working his way down the tan muscled chest to his stomach. He then took hold of one of Naruto's hands and gently cleaned the cuts on his knuckles before taking his other hand and repeating the care.

"I'll call for some bandages once we're done." Sasuke looked up and saw Naruto watching him with curious regard.

"I'm fine, Sasuke." Naruto just stared back at the mobster. "I don't need any bandages."

Sasuke's brows flicked up at his words but he continued to wash his lover. Letting his hands go, he reached for Naruto's hips to turn him around so he could wash his back. Naruto resisted ever so slightly and when Sasuke raised a brow at him questionly, the blond simply took a deep breath and let the Uchiha turn him.

Sasuke's hands stayed on Naruto's hips and didn't move. It was easy to figure out that the Uchiha was taking in the sight of Naruto's bare back. He had gotten the same reaction from Konan and every lover since. The inevitable awkwardness that always came after someone saw his scars was something Naruto would never get used to. He hated the questions that would inevitably come but even more, he hated the pitying eyes that followed after.

Somehow Sasuke had missed it before. Whether the was due to the dim lighting of the suite or his lustful preoccupation with getting the blond into his bed, he had missed the scars that covered Naruto's back from shoulder blades to waist. The scars looked very old, some showing stretch marks from when the boy had simply grown, causing the skin to pull against the deep, fleshy markings. He must have been painfully young, thought Sasuke. But now was not the time for those kind of questions. He could see how Naruto tensed as soon as he had turned him around and Sasuke didn't want their short time together to be marred by bitter memories.

After a moment, Sasuke's hands left his hips and continued to lather the broad, muscled back. Once fully lathered, Sasuke stepped forward and pressed his body against the blond's. Naruto could feel Sasuke's erection hard against his ass as pale arms wrapped around him and Sasuke's warm mouth found the crook of Naruto's neck.

Naruto was grateful for the Uchiha's silence. He knew he'd probably have to face his questions sooner or later, but he was glad it would be left for later.

Naruto arched against him and Sasuke's hand lowered to Naruto's crotch, stroking his cock before dropping lower and washing his balls. The blond moaned softly and reached behind him to pull Sasuke more firmly against him, grinding his ass into the hardness between them.

Slowly, Sasuke pulled back and turned Naruto around again so they were face to face. Using the washcloth he again took hold of Naruto's length and stroked it slow. Naruto brought his hands up rested them on Sasuke's sleek white shoulders and softly groaned. He then watched with curiosity as his lover seemed to take extra care as he reached around and slipped the washcloth between the crevice of his ass and washed it thoroughly. Naruto winced slightly at the sting and was grateful for Sasuke's gentleness.

Sasuke looked up and met the blue eyes with two raised brows. Naruto let out an awkward chuckle "Thanks." Taking the cloth from Sasuke's hand, he continued to wash himself as his bathmate shot an amused look back at him.

Finding the shampoo, Sasuke began to work a lather into the boy's blond hair. Closing his eyes, Naruto let the washcloth fall from his hands as he felt the tension and the residual drunkenness of his earlier debauchery being lifted.

When Naruto opened his eyes he saw Sasuke regarding him thoughtfully. "I didn't want to ask but the look on your face has me wondering just what it is that you get out of all this. I mean, the sex I get." Naruto flashed the Uchiha a lopsided grin as a dark lust played in his eyes. "But the whole seduction. The clothes and now the bath. I'm not a woman, Sasuke."

Sasuke considered telling Naruto that this was the first time he had ever felt compelled to seduce a lover so thoroughly. And bathe any one of his previous overnight guests? It had never crossed his mind to make the effort. So why now? Why with Naruto? Sasuke pushed the questions away. Focusing on the reasons would only play on the fact that he would not be able to be with the boy again after tonight.

"No you're not." Sasuke brought Naruto's waist flush with his and the blond responded, letting out a low growl at the sensation of their hard erections pushing against each other. Pulling Naruto closer, he moved them under the spray, to wash out the shampoo in the blond's hair and cover them both with a soothing warmth. Sasuke reached into the boy's hair and rinsed out the last of the soap.

Naruto met his gaze again; his blue eyes now filled with desire but also searching for some kind of answer within Sasuke's black depths. He marveled at how utterly breathtaking Sasuke looked. His midnight hair strewn about his face and those dark piercing eyes locked on his. The mobster looked dangerous and vulnerable all at once. He easily read the look in Sasuke's eyes as the knot in his stomach pulled tighter, confirming the answer he had already guessed at.

Naruto smiled softly and leaned in. Brushing his lips lightly against Sasuke and wrapping his arms tightly around his waist, Naruto gave a hard tug and flexed his hips against him. Sasuke let out a throaty groan and fisted his hands into the blond hair.

"Okay." Naruto smiled against his lips. Not wanting to break the spell that seemed to surround them both, Naruto decided to let the questions go and instead accept the moment for what it was. "Then can you answer just one question for me?"

Sasuke pulled the boy's hair hard and brought his head up to meet his eyes. Lifting a brow, he tilted his head and waited for the question.

Naruto moved his hands and dug his fingers into Sasuke's hips in response to the Uchiha's rough handling of him. Smiling back at the black fire filled eyes, he squinted his eyes slightly at him. "Just what the hell is that thing above your bed?"

Sasuke's face slowly grew into a devilish grin and the knot that had been tugging at Naruto's gut instantly did a flip at the sight of it.

With his grip still in his hair, Sasuke pulled Naruto's mouth roughly to his and pressed his waist harder against the blond. The warm spray still falling over them both, Naruto groaned into Sasuke's mouth.

Sasuke then broke their kiss and rested his forehead on Naruto's. "After we wash and you call Gaara, I'll show you exactly what that thing is... If you want."

Both men now breathing hard, Naruto considered Sasuke's words. Ever the optimist, Naruto decided to finally accept this affair with Sasuke for all that it was and nothing else. With his heart racing at the idea of finding out what Sasuke had in mind once they were done with their shower, Naruto let all his earlier doubts wash away with the water and circle down the drain.

Naruto lifted his blazing blue eyes and leveled them at Sasuke. "Show me."

* * *

Slowly waking, Gaara wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep but came immediately alert the second his eyes flew open at the sound of someone softly singing nearby.

"Hush now, don't explain ...just say you'll remain… I'm glad you're back, don't explain… "

"What?" Gaara sat up and looked around. The pain in his left arm shot through him sending memories of the night flooding into his mind. The nightclub, the hitmen, the gunfire and… "Sakura."

A set of sleepy green eyes looked at him. Sweating from the pain now screaming up and down his arm, he vaguely remembered a somewhat heated discussion about how having a woman take the couch while he got the bed was ungentlemanly. Sakura had rolled her eyes at him and gently guided him to the bed where due to the pain medication the doctor had given him, he hadn't been strong enough to resist and slipped effortlessly into a deep sleep. Something he couldn't remember ever doing. The thought of having been so deeply asleep, sent a familiar spike of anxiety through him.

Sakura's eyes widened at Gaara's panicked expression. "Gaara, it's alright!" She was off the couch and by his side in an instant. She sat down next to him but knew better than to reach for his hand. "Everything's alright. We're in a hotel room at The Tokyo Palace."

Sweating and wincing, he slowly began to calm after remembering the hotel room they were in was Sasuke's effort to hide him and Naruto from the police. Gaara tried to slow his heart rate as his mind tried to latch onto other comforting thoughts. "Naruto." His best friend's name fell from his mouth before he could stop it.

"He stayed in Sasuke's suite..." a blush dusted Sakura's cheeks. " ...so the cops wouldn't see you together. We can call him. I'll bring the phone to you."

Sakura stood up from the edge of the bed and went to the phone that was on the left nightstand on the other side of where Gaara was now sitting up.

"No." Finally finding his voice and feeling clarity returning his mind, Gaara lifted his good arm motioning for her to stop. "It's alright. I know he'll call as soon as he can."

Keeping his left arm tight against his body, Gaara closed his eyes, trying to calm his breathing and stop his heart rate from pounding painfully through his wounded arm. He tried to lean back against the headboard and almost fell back causing the pain to flare again. Sakura hurried back and began piling pillows behind him to help him sit up. He tried to glare at her for fussing over him but it came out a grimace.

As soon as he was situated, Gaara took a deep breath and tried to relax.

"The doctor said you should eat something as soon as you woke up. They sent up roasted chicken and ham sandwiches and, well as you can see," She waved her hand out toward the three dinner carts littering the hotel room, "just about everything else." She turned back to Gaara and smiled at him.

"You slept on the couch all night?" Gaara's face had returned to his normal expressionless mask but Sakura could hear the irritation in his voice.

"Are we back to that?" Sakura turned from him and walked over to the food carts. She figured a sandwich might do her friend some good and set about to fix him a plate. "You were only asleep for about four hours so it hasn't been all night." She threw the redhead a glare over her shoulder. "And you've been shot. I think etiquette goes out the window when someone's health needs to be tended to."

With sandwich in tow, Sakura headed back to the bed and handed the plate to Gaara. He looked at her for a moment and then to the plate in her hand, trying to decide just how to let her know he didn't need to be tended to or waited on or fussed over without getting so riled up the ache in his arm wouldn't flare again.

Taking the plate from her, he decided he'd instead be grateful she wasn't trying to feed him the damn thing, rather than complain about being treated like an invalid.

"I know, Gaara. It's not like we've only just met." She watched as he took a moment to decide what would be the best way to handle the sandwich. Knowing it wouldn't be a good idea to test his patience much further, she left him to figure it out on his own. "Be happy the doctor said your wound is minor and you should be all healed in no time."

Sakura returned to the couch on the far end of the room next to the small picture window.

"Thank you for the sandwich." Gaara tried to keep the hardness from his tone. Sakura gave him a soft smile and lowered her chin at him. As soon as he'd taken a few bites, he started to feel some of his dizziness begin to fade.

"You changed your clothes." He noticed her long brown dress pants and white silk top.

"You like it? It's all the rage in Hollywood." Sakura stood up and gave a quick twirl. "Katherine Hepburn posed for Look Magazine in a pair just like these. Given our close quarters tonight, I thought it would be best not to walk around in my bathrobe." She let out a small giggle and plopped herself back onto the sofa.

Gaara eyed her for a moment. The more he ate, the more his temper was beginning to fade. This damn injury was going to make his life unbearable but he knew it wasn't Sakura's fault. He just couldn't stand to be on the receiving end of so much attention. But again, it wasn't like Sakura was trying to push the care on him. If anything she was giving him just enough care to make sure he was alright and just enough space so as not to irritate him. He let out a long sigh.

"Sakura."

"Don't." Sakura couldn't steel her eyes with the same weight that Gaara could but she leveled them at him nonetheless. "Do you really think after everything that you owe me any kind of apology?" She softened her eyes and tilted her head.

"You don't owe me for last- " But Sakura wasn't going to let him finish.

"I'm not talking about last night." Gaara stared back at her. Both their eyes locked in a delicate knowing. Sakura dropped her gaze and smoothed her dress pants with her hands. "I know you won't stand for having me fuss over you and I'm not. Not really anyway. I'm only helping you a little." Sakura looked back up at him and her eyes lit up. "Once Naruto gets back, he can help you."

Gaara twitched a brow at her in response. "I have a feeling it will be late afternoon before Naruto gets back."

Sakura raised both her eyebrows and smiled at her childhood friend. "Naruto and Sasuke?" Getting up from the couch, she headed back to the food carts and poured herself some coffee. "Coffee?" She held the pot up to Gaara.

"Sure." Coffee sounded good. The last thing Gaara wanted was to go back to sleep.

"Remember the way Hinata used to follow him around?" Sakura continued as she carried the coffee over Gaara. "Of course, we were all still very young back then. She told me later that not so much as a kiss was exchanged between them. Even back then I could tell he took more of a protective brother role with her."

After handing the cup to Gaara, she sat down at the foot of the bed and smiled at him from around her coffee cup. "Hinata and I heard rumors last year about him and some girl named, Konan. But you know how rumors are, just bits and pieces and you never know if they're true or not."

"There was a girl named Konan." Gaara drank his coffee and settled his eyes on Sakura's widened ones.

"Did she really have purple hair?"

Gaara coughed on his coffee as he raised a brow at her. "Asked the girl with the pink hair."

Sakura let out a giggle and winked at redhead. "Fair enough." She shook her head. "And now Uchiha Sasuke. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Naruto in Sasuke's private room."

Both of them jumped as the phone in the hotel room began to ring. Sakura got up and set her cup down. She reached the phone by the third ring.

"Yes? Naruto! Yes, he's awake." She glanced over at Gaara and he gave her a nod back. "One second."

She carried the phone over to him, handed him the ear piece and held the phone stand for him so he wouldn't have to use his injured arm.

"Naru."

" _Hey, fucker. How're you feeling?"_

"Been better. How's your six?"

" _Fuck you."_ Naruto let out a laugh and Gaara knew the blond was shaking his head at the joke.

"Everything's good over here, Naru." Gaara's voice remained flat. "Sakura's fussing over me and I'm eating."

"Shit. You take it easy on her, Gaara. The girl's just doing what the doctor ordered her to do."

"I know." Gaara ignored the mocking indignance Sakura was now throwing his way. "I guess I shouldn't expect you back anytime soon?" He knew the question would fluster Naruto but sometimes it was best to just get right to the point.

After a few seconds of silence Naruto spoke up. " _Sasuke's invited us both to a late lunch in the club. He wants to hear all the details from last night and check in with how you're feeling. If you're not up to it, we can meet in your hotel room instead."_

"I'll be there." The redhead didn't miss the casual sidestep of his question.

"Meet you in the club at two?"

"See ya then." Gaara hung up the phone and Sakura took it back to the nightstand. "How about some more coffee?" He held out his cup to her. "It looks like it's gonna be a long night." Gaara glanced toward the hotel window and saw a slow light beginning to come through the curtains. "Long morning."

Sakura smiled at him and tried not to let her expression acknowledge the fact that Gaara was finally giving in to her care. Even if only a little. She took his cup and served them both a refill.

"Naruto and Sasuke." Sakura returned again to the foot of the bed after handing Gaara his coffee. She took a drink and wondered how it had happened that Naruto ended up in the Uchiha's sights. It wasn't like Sasuke didn't have enough admirers. And from what she could remember, Naruto could have his pick of almost any girl. Not that he was aware of it, though. The boy was attractive but sometimes he could be a little thick.

Gaara watched her eyes dim. "What?" He could tell there was something on her mind and if pertained to Naruto's involvement with Sasuke, then he'd just as soon know what it was.

Her eyes settled on the redhead. "It's just that Sasuke doesn't usually keep a… " Sakura lowered her eyes and brought her cup to her mouth in an effort to stall. It's not like Gaara didn't know what was most definitely going on in Sasuke's suite right now but it was entirely different when you voiced it out loud. "Well, I mean, I've never seen Sasuke date anyone."

"Doesn't keep them around for more than a night." The redhead wasn't slow. He saw the flush in Sakura's cheeks and knew she wasn't going to admit to knowing about the Uchiha's revolving door of lovers.

"There haven't been as many as you're thinking. I can see it in your eyes." Sakura shot him an accusing look. "But the ones I have seen at his private table… they don't return a second night."

Gaara thought about how things had ended with Naruto and Konan. Of course the blond had said he was fine but Gaara had caught his friend on more than one occasion staring off with a forlorn look in his eyes. He had taken another lover rather quickly and when Gaara had asked him is it was serious, his best friend and said it was just a one night fling. However, this thing with the Uchiha seemed different.

While Gaara didn't want to watch Naruto go through another heartache he figured a one night only affair would probably be in the best interests of all involved. Sasuke could end up causing them both a lot of trouble. Gaara and Naruto had California ahead of them and they didn't need to be dragged deeper into the chaos of New York's dark underbelly.

"Do you think Naruto knows?" Sakura almost whispered the words.

"That he's gay? Or that this is just some sort of fly by night fling for Sasuke?" Gaara kept his tone low but his eyes gave off a touch of amusement.

Reading his sarcastic undertone, Sakura rolled her eyes at him. "I just don't want to see Naruto hurt is all. I know you don't either."

"Naruto's never been a fool." He kept his eyes on her and steadied his gaze. They both knew that the blond could be rash and downright pig-headed when it came to certain things, especially things that involved his friends. But Naruto was never foolish. Gaara was willing to wager money that Naru already knew about the Uchiha's one night only rule and had made his peace with it. That blond could find the upside to a downpour.

Sakura smiled at the redhead. "You have a point." She took another sip of her coffee and then quickly stood up. "I almost forgot!" She set her cup down on the nightstand and walked back to the couch where her overnight bag was propped up against it on the floor. After digging through her things for a moment she headed back to Gaara and held out her hand.

Gaara looked at the vial of pills she was holding and recognized them for the ones the doctor had left him for the pain. "I don't want them."

"Gaara, they're for the pain." She held them out to him and shook the bottle as if the rattling sound would change his mind. "You can't honestly tell me your arm isn't hurting right now."

"No more pills." He held up his hand to her and slowly shook his head. "Give them back to the doctor for all I care. I don't want them."

He locked his green eyes onto hers waiting for the inevitable argument about how was he supposed to get rest and heal unless he took his medication. But instead he saw no fight in the woman's eyes. In fact, Gaara realized he hadn't had a proper look at Sakura until just now. If anything, she seemed calm and not at all the nervous wreck he had rescued just a few hours ago. There was definitely something going on with her but damned if he could figure out what it was.

Letting her hand drop to her side, Sakura gave him a defeated pout. "I'll be sure and let the doctor know you refused your medication." She turned back to the couch and casually dropped the vial back into her bag before returning to her cup of coffee.

The coffee seemed to be working. Gaara no longer felt the heavy pull of the earlier medication. He closed his eyes and leaned back. So much had happened since yesterday. He really hadn't had time to process it all. Ever since the run-in with those Chinese thugs, he'd been acting on instinct. Hunches. He'd let his gut make all the choices without so much as a pause to consider exactly what he and Naruto were getting themselves into. Uchiha Sasuke had definitely thrown them a curveball. All of Naruto's plans for the two of them and California seemed so far away. And yet he knew Naru wouldn't bail on him. He knew even now, the blond would never consider this thing with the Uchiha more important than their plans to get the hell out of New York.

Gaara brought his hands to his face and tried to rub all the doubt and questions from his mind. There was plenty to discuss with the blond once he had a chance. He opened his eyes and looked around.

"Everything alright, Gaara?" Sakura eyed him with concern. "Did you want to sleep a little more? I can dim the lights if you'd like."

"Do you know the time?" Gaara kept looking for a clock but couldn't see one anywhere.

"I have my watch in my bag." Sakura got up and went back to the couch to grab her bag. "It's… almost six-thirty." Sakura looked up from her wristwatch and saw Gaara relax a little. "If you want to sleep some more I can… "

"No." He took a deep breath and settled into the bed. "I'm fine." Gaara forced corner of his mouth to lift and gave Sakura a weak smile. She took one look at his forced expression let out a loud laugh at the sight of it.

"Gaara!" She fell into another fit of laughter at the blank look on his face. "What are you doing?" Sakura got her breath back and raised her eyebrows at the redhead but he just kept looking at her with the same vacant stare.

"What's so… "

"Are you kidding me? A smile?" Sakura continued to giggle as she watched the realization hit him and his eyes soften a bit at her words. "You don't have to pretend with me, Red." She walked back from the couch and grabbed both their cups and returned to the serving carts. Pouring the last of the coffee for them both, she brought one to him and smiled warmly as he took it from her. "We've been friends for a long time, Gaara. I know you and you know me." She leveled her eyes at him. "So let's not go putting on airs for each other, alright?"

He didn't know what to say. Of course Sakura would be able to tell when he was faking a smile and God knows what made him feel like he had to give her one a moment ago. But she was right. There had never been any pretense between the two of them and no matter how much time had passed, they were in fact still friends.

He took a sip of his coffee and kept his eyes on the bright green ones in front of him. "What was that song you were singing?"

Satisfied with having made her point, Sakura took her spot at the foot of the bed and sipped her coffee. "Did you like it? It's a new song by Billie Holiday. I was going to sing it last night at the club… "

Her voice hitched a little and Gaara thought he caught a glimpse of fear in her eyes. But Sakura immediately shut her eyes and waved her hand in the air, shooing away the could have beens and any recollections of the nights turmoil.

"When Sasuke opens the club back up, I'll get another chance to perform it." She opened her eyes and smiled broadly at the redhead. "I only wish I could tell everyone it's a Billie Holiday song but… " Her eyes lowered as she examined her cup and shrugged.

"Why can't you?" Gaara had never heard of Billie Holiday but if the guy was a famous singer, he didn't see what the problem was.

"Some people wouldn't appreciate me singing a song written by a colored woman." Sakura's eyes darkened a bit.

He could tell it saddened her to have to hide her taste in music but there was something else in her face that made him think there was more to it.

Sakura looked at him and knew he was waiting on her. She shrugged her shoulders and tilted her head. "I don't know. I suppose my thinking is, if people won't accept a colored woman writing music, they'll never accept a Japanese woman writing her own music."

"In a Japanese nightclub?" It was hard for Gaara to imagine Sakura not being accepted amongst their own.

Sakura took another sip. "Here at the club, sure. But beyond the club, no."

Gaara nodded in understanding. Aspirations were new to him but he understood them. Naruto had filled him with hope about California and starting new. He had agreed to it, not just because Naruto was his best friend but because he wanted to get out of this city too. He wanted something other than living on the streets and hustling for his dinner every night. But beyond that, he really didn't have a clue what he wanted to do with his life. He had been so busy trying to stay alive and keeping himself and Naruto out of too much trouble that he hadn't really put any effort into thinking beyond the day to day struggle.

"You write your own music?" Gaara set his coffee cup on the nightstand and awkwardly tried to adjust the pillows that were propping him up. He winced from the pain that increased with each movement but didn't quit trying to grab at them. Sakura got up and set her cup down to help him. He immediately shot her a glare but she chose to ignore it. She took hold of his right arm to lift him slightly, giving him the leverage he needed to push himself back farther against the pillows propped up in front of the headboard. He hissed slightly at the pain that shot through his left arm but again, Sakura ignored him.

Once he was situated, Sakura grabbed her coffee cup and sat back down at the foot of the bed without asking him if he was alright. "I've been writing a few here and there. Nothing I can perform yet, though."

Feeling a bit more comfortable, Gaara eased back into the pillows and reached for his coffee. "Sasuke won't let you perform your own songs?"

Sakura swallowed a gulp of the warm brew. "I doubt he would mind. He always oversees the rehearsals so he listens to all the music before we do the show. Only once did he have a comment on what we played and I think his disdain for the clarinet that day was due to his hangover." Sakura laughed into her coffee and took another sip. "My songs aren't ready yet." She examined her cup carefully. "I have the music written but I can't seem to find the words."

"Nothing to write about?" Gaara kept his eyes fixed on the the green ones now trying to dart away from his.

"Probably just need a little inspiration." She finally met his gaze and tilted her head and gave a small smile. "I'm sure the words will come eventually."

Sakura could almost feel Gaara's eyes on her digging for the answer to his question. She had forgotten just how exacting his eyes could be at finding the truth. But she did her best, just as she had when they were young. Trying to hide her lonely thoughts from the redhead had been a challenge back then but now that she was older, she had become quite adept at it. Sakura took another drink and hoped that her childhood friend couldn't see that she in fact did have words to her songs. All that she was lacking was the courage to sing them aloud.

"Hm." Gaara regarded the pink haired woman. That calm exterior still seemed intact but there was something else underneath he couldn't quite make out. There was weariness, probably from having stayed up all night but there was also another look that reminded him of the girl she had been all those years ago. Gaara took another drink and figured some things should be left alone. At least for the moment. "Maybe you should rest for a while."

Sakura opened her mouth to object but Gaara's hand was already up, signaling her to save her breath. He simply couldn't sit still anymore. His patience was wearing thin and he had to do something.

"Sakura, I'm fine. I'm not going back to sleep and you are exhausted." He started to lift himself up from the headboard and Sakura immediately moved off the foot of the bed to stop him but Gaara again, held up his hand to her. The pain that shot through him made him hold his breath. Slowly, he sat up and turned to drape his legs over the edge of the bed. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he worked to steady his breathing. As soon as he felt the pain in his left arm lesson to a deep, low thrum he took a breath and stood up from the bed.

Standing next to him, Sakura watched as the redhead stood up, closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing. Since they were little, she had marveled at Gaara's ability to fight through whatever pain he faced. She didn't know how or where he had learned to be so strong but she always admired him for it. Not only could the redhead find that strength for himself, but back when they were little, he had known how to pull it out of her as well. Standing there watching him, Sakura smiled. She had missed her friend. A warm light shone in her eyes as she turned around and headed back to her overnight bag.

"Here." Gaara opened his eyes to see her standing in front of him holding out a soft black fabric to him. "While you were sleeping, Juugo came back and left this sling for your arm." She smiled softly and took a deep breath. "I can help you into it but I thought maybe you'd want to try on your own first."

He was holding his left arm tightly against his chest, not wanting to straighten it out. He reached out with his right hand and took the fabric from her, examining it thoughtfully. "I want to shower and change first. Then we can try and get this thing on." He didn't look back up at her but instead began walking toward the bathroom.

Sakura tried to suppress her smile at his use of the word ' _we._ ' She then turned and went about gathering up their plates and tidying up. Without turning back around she called to him over her shoulder. "Some clothes were sent up for you and you'll find them in the washroom. Juugo also brought up your laundry and placed it in there as well."

Gaara stopped at the bathroom door and turned around. "Sakura." She whipped around at the sound of her name. "Please take the bed. For now." His eyes softened at her. "Get some rest and we'll try and figure this thing out when I'm done showering." He held up the sling in his hand.

A half smirk crept to her face. "Blackmail," she said as she broke into a full grin and nodded at him. "Alright, Red. You win. I'm going to call down for more coffee first. Anything I can have them bring up for you?" She kept her green eyes locked on his.

"Some smokes would be great." His face remained firm but it was the light dancing in his eyes that gave away his sly win against his childhood friend. He nodded her thanks then turned and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

 ** _To be continued..._**

* * *

A/N - Okay, so I know it's not exactly what some of you were expecting to happen in the hotel room BUT I promise that we will return to Gaara and Sakura in chapter 6 and we will get to see both their characters get a bit more depth. We will also get a bit more back story on Gaara and Naruto and if the chapter doesn't get too long after all that, hopefully we'll get to the lunch meeting with Sasuke, Naruto and Gaara.

Thanks for being so patient everyone! I don't know how long until the next chapter but I promise to keep at it every chance I get!


	6. Chapter 6: Aches and pains

**Warnings:** REALLY LONG CHAPTER! Language, **implied attempted assault** , **implied rape (NO detailed description of the rape will be told anywhere in this story, but the events surrounding the occurrence will appear in a much later chapter)** and some light **BoyXBoy YAOI**. If any of these things bother you then please, **PLEASE** find another story to read!

 **Disclaimer:** Kishimoto Sensei owns Naruto and all its characters. I just play with them for my own enjoyment and get absolutely no money for sharing my fun with all of you.

 **A/N:** I admit it, I briefly thought about cutting this chapter once it reached 10k. There's so much backstory in this chapter and I wanted to finish up the long morning all our characters were having so we could move on to the rest of drama coming in chapter 7. In the process, this chapter stretched WAY past 10k! So I hope you'll forgive me even though I think its length is necessary to completely bring out all the characters and to give you, Dear Reader, an opportunity to take a deeper look into this story. That being said, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

And a **BIG HUG** and **THANK YOU SO MUCH** to my **AWESOME** beta **KIZUKATANA**! You are the bestest of the best!

* * *

Chapter 6 - Aches and pains

It had taken Gaara close to two hours to work his way out of his clothes, into the shower, and back into his now spotless grey corduroys with only one hand. The pain was almost unbearable. Sweating and irritated, he glanced at the now damp bandage over his stitches. He made a mental note to ask Sakura if Juugo or the doctor had happened to leave any extra bandages for him. He'd need to change the one on his arm before attempting to put on his the long sleeve shirt.

He looked down and was slightly impressed the laundry had gotten out all of the dirt and blood stains on his cords. Somehow it was reassuring to be back in his own pants. He wasn't planning to toss out the suit Sasuke had given him, but the familiarity of his cords made him feel ready for whatever came his way. They were part of him. It was the uniform he needed to blend in and operate more efficiently on the streets.

Wiping off the fog from the bathroom mirror, Gaara stared at the bruises covering his lean, pale chest. His eyes were dark and sunken from not enough sleep and his red hair was damp and falling about his face. It's not like he was unfamiliar with pain and exhaustion but the slow, constant ache in his arm seemed to be doing its best to flood his mind with older painful reminders of times when he had to simply push through the hurt and bear it. The bruises he could handle but the gunshot wound was going to be hard to ignore and take even longer to heal.

Running his fingers through the wet strands of his hair, he stopped as the scar above his left eye was revealed. He stared at it for a moment, then ran his hand through his hair again and partially pulled his bangs forward to cover the scar. Those old memories were too close to the surface today. So much had taken place in the last twenty-four hours.

Gaara sighed. He simply wasn't expecting all these events to trigger so much of the past he long ago buried.

Better to let his mind settle onto his best friend.

This thing with the Uchiha had taken Gaara by surprise. Of course Gaara could understand Naruto's reluctancy to talk about him being attracted to a man. They were best friends but a lot of what made them friends was their ability to understand each other without always needing to voice it.

Naruto had thrown himself head first into the whole affair with Sasuke and the immediate attraction between the two was without a doubt making the blond even more rash than normal. It was all making Gaara nervous.

Gaara thought back to the time when his best friend had pulled his first disappearing act. It was over a year ago when Naruto ran off to visit Otoha without coming back all night, leaving the redhead sick with worry.

The next morning when Naruto finally returned, Gaara had been livid. After getting a rapid explanation of ' _beautiful girl, lost virginity and he couldn't just bail on her right after, could he_ ', Gaara had calmed down.

Naru had been sixteen at the time and after four years together on the streets, Gaara knew his friend was fully capable of handling himself. But with the two of them always skirting a dangerous path of getting busted or getting jumped, Naruto's all-nighter had proven too much for the redhead to handle.

Of course he understood the situation Naruto had found himself in, but he still warned the blond of a serious ass kicking if he ever left until morning without so much as a word about where he'd be. After a number of apologies, Naruto had agreed.

At that time, It had been four years since either of them had seen Otoha but Naruto had been insistent about one day finding her and repaying her for the help she had given them back when they had first ran away from the orphanage.

They had been four years on the street before they finally made enough cash to eat well for a week and as soon as the money was in their hands, Naruto set his mind on going back to her apartment to find her.

Gaara knew better than to try and combat the blond's characteristic stubbornness so he had told him to go and thank her for the both of them.

Disobediently, Gaara's mind went to the night they both met Otoha during their first few days of having escaped the orphanage. He remembered how tenderly she had treated their cuts and gashes and looking back, he now remembered how she taken a shine to his best friend.

* * *

 _It was already nearing eight when he and Naruto decided it was dark enough to start searching the dumpsters for food or clothing. Only their second night on the streets and already they were both wondering if they had made a mistake escaping the orphanage without any supplies or money. With just the clothes on their back and shoes on their feet, they had made a dash for freedom. Now sifting through the trash on the Lower East Side, Gaara silently hoped he'd be able to stay strong enough to help the both of them survive whatever hardships lay ahead for them._

 _They had just arrived to a dumpster behind a nearby tenement when a pretty brown haired girl stubbled upon them. Gaara saw her first when he glanced behind them and yanked hard on Naruto's shirt, signaling him to run for it, not knowing if she would scream at them or shout for the cops. But Naruto held him back._

" _Wait a second." He shot a look to Gaara and they both looked back to the girl and held their breath._

 _She looked only a few years older than they were. Gaara stared at her with trepidation but she only smiled gently at both boys and held a finger to her lips. They looked at each other and Naruto nodded to Gaara. Still unsure but trusting in his best friend, they both followed her when she motioned for them to come inside._

 _The young girl with soft brown eyes led them up three flights and down a hallway to her apartment. After unlocking the door, she held it open for them and they followed her in._

" _My mother works the night shift at the cotton mill and won't be home until morning," she said as she closed the door behind them and locked it. Gaara had immediately tensed at her locking them in and she caught his reaction. "Oh, please don't worry. It's mainly to keep the neighbors from barging in. You two are free to leave whenever you want." She brushed her brown hair from her eyes and smiled warmly._

 _Gaara didn't reply but Naruto returned her smile. The redhead noticed a light blush rise in her cheeks when she took in his best friend's bright blue eyes and full smile. Naruto always did have a way of charming girls wherever he went, thought Gaara._

 _She motioned again for them to follow her, and led them into the kitchen. "We don't have much but we have enough to share." She pulled out two chairs at the table for them and held out her hand for them to sit down. "My name is Otoha."_

" _I'm Naruto and this is Gaara." Naruto fidgeted a bit as he flashed her another warm grin._

 _Smiling back at Naruto and holding his gaze for a moment, she then quickly nodded at them both and turned her attention to the kitchen reaching into the icebox and rummaging through the cupboards._

 _Naruto took a seat but Gaara remained standing next to him. When Otoha turned to them again, she was holding a plate with two sandwiches piled on it. She glanced at the redhead and then smiling, gently placed the plate on the table in front of the two boys. "Please, eat."_

 _She then turned her back to them again and busied herself at the stove. "You both look around eleven or twelve. I'm fifteen. But I'll be sixteen before the end of the year." She paused for a moment as if she was listening for something and then continued on. "A little soup should warm you up before you two decide on where to go next."_

 _Gaara was glad she wasn't interested in trying to get them to turn themselves in or return to whatever place they had ran away from. For a girl of fifteen, Otoha seemed to already understand what neither Gaara or Naruto had the ability to express to her._

 _She lit the stove and set the heat for the pot of soup. When she turned back, they had finished their ham sandwiches and were staring back at her. Naruto regarded her warmly but Gaara held to his suspicion, still waiting for her to suddenly turn on them both. He thought he saw a glimmer of sadness in her eyes but before he could mark it, the look was gone._

 _She again held out her hand to the kitchen chair and pushed it closer to Naruto. "Please. It's alright. You can rest here."_

 _But Gaara's face remained unfazed. Naruto looked from his friend to Otoha and his eyes darkened. "He… "_

 _Gaara whipped around and glared at the blond but Naruto met his anger with soft eyes. "It's okay, Gaara. She can help us. Please, trust me."_

 _Gaara could see the look in Naruto's eyes. So much of who they were as friends went unspoken and the redhead knew he didn't have to explain to his friend why he was shutting down more than usual. The unease of trusting anyone other than Naruto pulled hard at him and Gaara just wasn't capable fighting against it anymore._

 _He didn't say a word back to Naruto. Instead he glanced around the kitchen as if trying to find a way to escape. When he realized he would have to let the moment happen, he took a deep breath in resignation and lowered his head as Naruto looked back to Otoha and began to speak._

" _He can't sit down because… because he's been hurt." Gaara didn't raise his head at Naruto's words. In a strange way, he was grateful for the silence that followed. Anything was better than sounds or words of pity._

 _After a moment, Otoha walked to where Gaara was standing and bent down to kneel in front of him._

" _It's okay. I understand if you don't want my help." She kept her voice low and soft. "How about if I give Naruto the bandages and show him what to do, would that be alright?" Gaara didn't move. After a moment, he nodded slightly._

 _Otoha got up and left to the other room. When she returned, she brought back bandages, towels and antiseptic soap. She walked toward them, set everything on the table and then turned to the kitchen cupboards, grabbed an empty pot and filled it with water. She then moved the soup aside and set the pot of water to heat._

 _Quietly Otoha began to instruct Naruto on how to wash and clean any wounds he found and bandage them. Her voice dropped even lower when she then handed Naruto a small round tin and told him how to apply the vaseline to any of the wounds he might not be able to bandage._

 _Gaara's head was still lowered but the silence that followed her words was enough to tell him that Naruto had understood her meaning._

 _Gaara slowly lifted his head and saw Naruto listening intently and watching Otoha's instruction closely. Rising from her chair, Otoha stood up and turned to the kitchen. She took the pot of now warmed water and set it on the kitchen table and reminded Naruto to make sure it wasn't too hot before using it._

" _I'll be in the sitting room if you need any help, alright?" Naruto gave her a thin smile but Gaara didn't meet her gaze. After a short moment he nodded slightly to let her know he had heard her._

 _When Naruto gave his arm to him and told him to squeeze it as hard as he wanted to help with the pain, Gaara had grabbed hold with both his hands and squeezed his eyes shut._

 _Trying his best to block out all thought, the redhead tensed and held his breath as his best friend gently pulled down his brown pants with his other hand._

 _Naruto had been very well instructed and had taken extra care but still by the time Naruto had finished, Gaara had tears streaming down his face and Naruto had light bruises and small cuts from where Gaara's fingernails had dug into his arm._

 _Otoha returned to the kitchen to check on their progress just as Gaara was buttoning his pants. "And you, Naruto? Do you have any cuts we should bandage?"_

" _Yes." It was the only word Gaara spoke their entire time in the apartment. Otoha nodded to the redhead when he had finally raised his wet eyes to meet her gentle ones._

" _Naruto?" Gaara watched as the blond gave her a slightly embarrassed face and then shrugged his shoulders. Slowly he stood up from the kitchen chair and turned his back to them both as he carefully lifted his black cotton shirt and pulled it off._

 _Gaara and Otoha stared at Naruto's back. It was the first time the boy had allowed Gaara to see it. The redhead knew his friend had taken the punishment for him but every time he had asked to take a look at it, Naruto had refused._

 _Long lines of gashes crisscrossed all over his back. From his shoulder blades and down to his waist, deep thin strips of skin were either missing or welted. Blood now long since dried, covered most of the wounds and in places where the scabs had lifted off, raw pink and angry red flesh shone through. Purple, orange and yellow bruises covered almost every inch of skin that wasn't cut or scabbed._

 _The stinging had come almost immediately to Gaara's eyes. As if sensing it, Naruto turned and went to him. "Don't cry, Gaara! It's okay! It doesn't even hurt anymore, honest!" The blond tried to take his friend's hands in his but the redhead instinctively pulled away from the touch. Lowering his head again, Gaara stared at the floor as silent tears fell from his face. The quiet that fell upon the kitchen was deafening to Gaara's ears._

 _At that moment, Otoha came forward and again knelt in front of the two boys. The redhead was too guilt-ridden to lift his head and face her. He knew the young girl didn't know that Gaara had played a role in Naruto's wounds but he hid his eyes from her in shame nonetheless._

" _Gaara, I'm going to need your help taking care of Naruto. Do you think you can help me?" The redhead held his breath. He lifted his head and looked back at the bright blue eyes of his best friend in front of him and wiped his tears._

 _Taking a deep breath, Gaara pulled back his shoulders and accepted the task. Naruto immediately smiled and handed Gaara one of the towels._

 _Smiling softly at the boys, Otoha stood up and grabbed the pot of water, dumped it, refilled it and set it to heat again. Once the water was ready, she instructed Gaara to wipe or press as they went about cleaning each wound. To Naruto's credit he did his best to keep his hisses and flinches to a minimum. It took them close to an hour to clean and bandage every wound on the twelve year old boy's back._

 _Otoha then gave Naruto a glass of water and two aspirin. She turned and handed another four to the redhead. "It's really important for Naruto to take two more if he starts to fever. A fever will mean his wounds are infected." Gaara opened his hand and looked up at her. "If he fevers, you give him two more and come find me right away, alright?" He closed his hand around the pills and nodded. His green eyes steeled as he quietly accepted the responsibility to care for his friend._

 _Once Naruto had his shirt back on and the table was cleared, Otoha reheated the soup and poured them each a bowl. As they quietly ate, she made them two more sandwiches and packed them in a brown bag for them to take with them._

 _When they finished their soup, Gaara looked to Naruto and the blond nodded back._

" _We should be going." The blond smiled at Otoha and she smiled back._

" _I guess it is getting late." She got up from the table and handed them the bag of sandwiches. As she showed them to the door, Gaara could tell she wanted to say more to them but was holding back. He figured given her age, there was no way she could offer them a place for the night and that this was the most she could do for them. He understood the situation and didn't hold it against her. She had already done so much for them._

 _As she opened her apartment door for them, Gaara looked at Naruto, knowing he would be able to say what he could not._

 _The blond held out his hand to Otoha and she giggled at the gentlemanly gesture._

 _When she took his hand, Naruto raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it ever so lightly. She giggled again as a soft blush dusted both their cheeks. Holding Naruto's gaze she smiled back at the boy._

" _Thank you for everything," he said. His blue eyes danced as gave her a lopsided grin and slowly let go of her hand._

" _You know where to find me if you ever need anything," she said as Gaara and Naruto turned from her smile and left._

* * *

Four years later, Naruto returned to Otoha's apartment to repay the old debt and ended up spending the night with her. When Gaara asked him if he was going to see her again, he told him that she had gotten a scholarship and was leaving that day for college in Massachusetts. She wouldn't be coming back to New York.

Gaara stared warily into the bathroom mirror. Things were different now. Naruto hadn't run off without letting Gaara know where he would be. In fact, the redhead knew exactly where and what his best friend was currently up to. Even back when Naruto and Konan's torrid affair had begun, Naruto always left a note or had returned well before sunrise so it wasn't like Gaara had a reason to be nervous about his friend's current romance.

They weren't children anymore. They both were experienced men, used to handling themselves whether together or on their own and Gaara knew the blond didn't need to be treated like a child who needed looking after. But still, there was something about this whole situation with the Uchiha that made the redhead uneasy.

It was the way Naruto had missed the lady with the stash last night. The way the blond had held back from telling Gaara about his first meeting with the Uchiha. A fucking crime boss and his best friend failed to mention it. Or the way Naruto practically jumped to follow Sasuke into the club when the mobster invited them in. Naruto had always been quick to trust but never like this. His characteristic rash behavior was bordering on recklessness.

And now they were both to have lunch with the Uchiha at two o'clock. Gaara was missing something in all this and he blamed his damn gunshot wound for not being able to pinpoint it. Triggering painful memories was one thing but taking his attention away from current matters at hand frustrated the redhead to no end.

Draping a towel around his bare shoulders to keep his hair from dripping water, Gaara opened the bathroom door and stepped back into the hotel room. He glanced around and noticed one less food cart and a fresh pot of coffee on another.

He could see that Sakura had finally fallen asleep on the large bed and was curled up on the far right side. His eyes softened as he took in the sight of her with the blankets pulled up and tucked under her chin.

When Gaara looked down at the nightstand he noticed Sakura had left him fresh bandages and antiseptic soap. His eyes quickly darted to the pink haired woman again.

He couldn't deny the guilt he had been suppressing since he first saw her in the nightclub last night and now here it was again, rising up as he watched her sleeping.

Five years had passed. Five years of him trying to forget the pain he and Naruto had left behind at the orphanage, only to have Sakura walk back into their lives and remind them of the broken promises from their youth.

Watching her, he wondered how she had managed to get out of that place. He wasn't looking forward to having that conversation with her anytime soon but knew it was only a matter of time before he would be faced with it.

Though Sakura hadn't given any implication she would bring the matter up, Gaara had sensed it in her nervous laughter and knew it was on her mind to approach the subject just as much as it was on his to avoid it.

When Gaara and Naruto had fled the night they both had been sent to the basement, their escape had been an instantaneous flee from their tormentors and not at all planned.

Gaara sighed at the memory. He remembered the plan he had come up with to get them all out. Taking Sakura and Hinata with them had been part of his elaborate scheme to escape and finally be free of his father's cruelty.

Even at fourteen, Gaara had no issue with taking the responsibility for each one his friends. With his own father at the helm of their childhood prison, the redhead believed it was his duty to find a way out for all four of them.

But Gaara's reluctance to leave before getting a little payback against one of his father's flunkies had brought all their plans to a screeching halt. Naruto and Gaara had been taken to the basement by Gaara's father as punishment and both boys ended up paying dearly for Gaara's foolish lapse in judgment.

Gaara swallowed hard at the painful memory. They had managed to break free that night and without looking back, they had ran for their lives.

Once they finally stopped running somewhere near Chinatown, the weight of what had happened hit them both, leaving Naruto inconsolable and Gaara in silent shock.

Wracked with guilt, Gaara remembered how his friend cried himself to sleep for weeks. Gaara simply shut down. He worked to blank his mind against his assault, Naruto's bloody wounds and the knowledge that he had broken his promise to Sakura.

Last night had all happened so fast that there really wasn't much time for hello's and how are you. But Gaara hadn't missed the expression on Naruto's face when he had first laid eyes on Sakura. It was the same apprehensive guilt Gaara saw when Naruto tried to talk to her as they all waited in Sasuke's suite.

Gaara stepped in that time but not just for the nervousness he saw on Sakura's face. Asking to be forgiven for leaving her behind would mean also having to explain exactly what happened the night they escaped and Gaara would do anything to keep from ever speaking of that night to anyone.

Looking down, Gaara noticed his hands were now tightly closed and whiting at the knuckles. He slowly opened them and flexed his fingers trying to bring the feeling back to them.

Sitting himself down on the left side of the bed, Gaara decided it would be better to focus on changing his bandage.

Clenching his jaw through the pain, he fumbled with the bandage and barely managed to affix it over his stitches. By the time he was done, his forehead was flopped with sweat and his left arm was screaming. Breathing hard, Gaara got up and poured himself another cup of coffee before returning to sit on the edge of the bed.

As his breathing evened out, he leaned back against the pillows and turned his head toward Sakura.

Still deep in sleep, Gaara could see even now, a heavy weariness about her. The woman looked tired even as she slept.

Suddenly, she shifted and he could see her twitch slightly. Looking more closely he noticed she was shaking under the covers. Gaara immediately got up to see if there were extra blankets in the closet. Finding one on the couch, he grabbed it and draped it over the pink-haired woman.

Covering her completely with the blanket, he stood over her and waited to see if the blanket would warm her.

Without thinking, Gaara reached out with his right hand, pulled the blanket up and tucked it under her chin.

Slowly he watched as instead of moving away, his hand rose up toward her cheek. Then, not really knowing why, Gaara let the back of his hand brush against the soft pink strands of her hair that had fallen around her face.

She wasn't shaking anymore and her breathing remained deep and slow. Gaara quickly pulled his hand back and creased his brows.

He didn't know what to think of his childhood friend. Guilt, curiosity, and other emotions he couldn't put his finger on were all fighting for space inside his mind.

With Naruto and the Uchiha and his gunshot wound all vying for a spot, Gaara decided to let his momentary loss of control take a backseat.

Rather than dwell, Gaara walked back to the food carts and found the morning paper that had been sent up with the coffee. He took it with him back to the other side of the huge bed, sat down and began to read.

* * *

Stiff and groggy, Sakura opened her eyes. For a moment she had forgotten where she was. As her eyes cleared, she remembered that Gaara had been in the shower when she had drifted off to sleep. The more awake she became the more aware she was of a solid feeling of warmth next to her shoulder.

Lifting her gaze upward, Sakura's eyes slowly followed a pair of grey pants, to a bare waist and chest, and on up to a pair of soft unreadable green eyes looking back at her.

"Oh, Gaara I'm so sorry!" Bolting up, she looked back to the side of the bed where she had originally fallen asleep and brought her hand to her forehead in confusion as to how she managed to end up clear on the other side.

Scarlet red and flustered, Sakura quickly slid back towards the other side of the bed. Gaara watched her panicked movements with curiosity. He supposed that since they weren't children anymore, sharing a bed with a half naked man could be considered scandalous. But when Sakura had tossed and turned in her sleep only to wind up lightly pressed up against his thigh, he really hadn't thought anything of it.

Sure he had characteristically tensed at the initial contact but when he looked down and saw her face finally looking relaxed and rested, he shrugged off the anxiousness and reminded himself that this was Sakura and no different than sleeping next to Naruto.

Throwing her legs over the edge of the bed, Sakura stood up and began to smooth and right her clothes. "Sorry, Gaara. Uh… can I get you more coffee or uh… did you find your cigarettes and the extra bandages? Oh, I see you changed them. Good."

Sakura shut her mouth knowing she was rambling from embarrassment and gave Gaara an awkward smile. "I think I'm gonna freshen up a bit," she said in a low voice.

She knew her face was thoroughly flushed from the heat she felt sweeping across her cheeks. All things considered, she would have thought she'd be over such embarrassments but the look in the redhead's eyes had taken her by surprise.

It had been a long time since waking up to those gentle green eyes. If it hadn't been for his bare chest, now toned and lean from age, she would've thought they were back at the orphanage when she would sneak into the south wing where he and Naruto slept and curl up in the bed next to Gaara.

He always left out a cot for her just in case she would get scared at night and wander over. Each wing was assigned by age and sectioned off but one of the few things Gaara's father had allowed his son, was permission to have his best friend sleep in the same wing as him. Knowing this, she would sometimes creep in the night to where they were and fall asleep on the cot next to the redhead. Sleeping next to Gaara had always made Sakura feel safe.

She went to where her overnight bag was and held it close. She could feel the shaking start to settle in her hands and knew it wouldn't be long before Gaara would notice.

She knew the redhead's eyes were still fixed on her. As nervous as it made her, she knew better than to give in to what that look was digging for. Too many questions brought about too many memories. Once upon a time, Gaara had been there for her when he had no obligation to and damn if she was going to bring up silly old childish fantasies that would only cause him more undeserved pain.

Feeling her earlier embarrassment slowly leaving her, her mind continued to drift over those long ago days when Gaara had watched out for her. And when coupled with last night's shootout, she wondered whether the redhead realized just how often he had rescued her over the years.

Heading to the bathroom she felt her heart rate finally calming and just before reaching the door, she turned around and faced the redhead. "Thank you, Gaara," she breathed out, feeling the weight of the years falling between them.

Gaara's eyes were still on her and his eyes slightly narrowed at her words.

"Oh, I know it makes you uncomfortable and grumpy to have me make a fuss so I won't. But please, at the very least, let me thank you," she took a deep breath and continued, "It was an awfully brave thing you did."

Gaara eyes softened. Looking at his old friend, he couldn't help but feel a bit ashamed that she had to approach a kind word to him so carefully. He could see the anxiousness in her eyes and the slight shaking of her hands. Did he really frighten her so much?

Gaara let his face relax as he looked back at her. "Anytime."

Sakura beamed at him. Clutching her bag tightly against her, she nodded to him and then turned to the washroom and went inside.

As the bathroom door shut, Gaara wondered about the woman inside. Here they both were, five years after he and Naruto had left her and Hinata behind in that awful place and she was thanking him.

He was sure it was on the tip of her tongue to ask and yet still, she held back. Not that he wanted to have that conversation with her, but if there was anyone who had the right to ask, it was Sakura. She and Gaara had been close during those times and when he first concocted the crazy scheme to get them out, it was Sakura not Naruto, he had told first.

It was the day he had found her crouched down and hiding behind the old gym. His father had closed it up to keep the children spending more time in the work rooms. Play time had become non-existent by then and Gaara's father couldn't have cared less.

The redhead had already searched all her usual hiding places, but getting worried, he decided to take a chance and head out across the empty lot towards the boarded up gym.

* * *

" _Sakura?" Gaara had been looking for her everywhere. He had told her to stay close whenever she wasn't in a work group or at lessons but when two o'clock came and went, Gaara hadn't seen her come out of her normal Wednesday work station, so he told Naru to keep an eye out and off he went to look for her._

 _He found Sakura kneeling in the overgrown grass behind the old gymnasium. When she lifted her head up at the sound of his voice, Gaara immediately saw the purple shiner on her right eye. She wasn't crying but instead gave an him an apologetic look as if already knowing Gaara would find a way to take the blame for her injury._

" _Who did it?" Gaara's voice was flat and his eyes hard. He could see where her cotton button-up shirt was ripped near the collar. "Did they… "_

 _She vehemently shook her head and dropped her eyes._

" _Sakura."_

" _No," she shook her head again and met his stare "I ran away before… "_

" _Who, Sakura." Gaara kept his eyes locked on hers. "Tell me."_

" _Gaara, you can't and I won't let you get in trouble for me!" Sakura stood up and with shaking hands, began to tuck her shirt into her dirty brown corduroys._

 _He stepped in close to her and touched her hand with his and she jerked her head up at his touch. Before the shock of his hand on hers had a chance to reflect in her eyes, the touch was gone._

 _Gaara bore his eyes into hers knowing no matter what, he wouldn't let this go until he got the truth out of her. "Tell me."_

 _Still shocked, she stared at him for a moment. He could see her trying to find a way out of giving up a name but after a moment, she took a deep sigh and spoke, "Mizuki," she said in resignation._

 _Gaara nodded. Mizuki was one of his father's pets. He was only sixteen but he had already managed to become one of his father's most trusted lackeys. He would rat out, frame, steal, beat or rape at will. Mizuki loved power and doing Gaara's father's bidding was what he prided himself in most. It was what enabled him to terrorize the younger children without fear of punishment._

 _Mizuki liked the young girls and the assholes he hung around with liked the young boys. Gaara had always been small and frail for his age so some of the gang Mizuki ran with were always going after him. But Gaara was fast and had learned early how to avoid empty places and more importantly had learned how to fight back._

 _He and Naru almost always stayed close and when Gaara would swing a right, Naruto would kick a left. Of course they weren't strong enough to take out a couple of sixteen year olds but they were able to fight back long enough to get away. Not all the kids were as lucky._

" _Please, Gaara, please don't go after him! You know you can't win and your dad will take his side and if that happens… " He knew Sakura was thinking about what would happen if he got sent to the basement as punishment. Not to mention what would happen to Gaara if he got sent there alone. "Please, Gaara! If you got in trouble because of me, I couldn't… I just… " Sakura began to shake uncontrollably._

" _Okay. Alright, please Sakura calm down… It'll be okay, I promise… " Wanting to keep her from crying he searched his mind for something to say. "I have a plan," he whispered._

 _She looked at her friend and creased her brows at him._

 _Noticing her shaking was starting to subside, he continued. "It's a good plan. I haven't run it past Naru yet but it'll work. And when we go for it, you're coming with us."_

" _Gaara… "_

" _You're coming with us. It took me awhile before I could get access to the kitchen and now that I do, I know it'll work. Naru will want Hinata to come too. We could get out, Sakura. We're going to get out. All of us. I promise."_

 _He took a deep breath. He didn't know if it was his desperation at trying to calm Sakura down or his excitement at sharing his plan that made him speak more words than he had all week. But as he looked at her bright green eyes, he saw something that made him believe they could pull it off._

 _Sakura smiled gently at him and Gaara knew no matter what, he would make sure they all made it out together._

" _C'mon, Naru is waiting for us," He motioned for her to follow him back to the main house. They walked together in silence and Gaara allowed his mind to play with ideas on how to finally payback Mizuki for everything in one go. No matter what Sakura said, he was going to make sure that asshole got what was coming to him before they all left this godforsaken place._

* * *

Gaara shifted on the bed and looked away from the bathroom door. The pain of those old memories rushed back like a wave, washing the familiar guilt and shame over him. He had paid dearly for getting back at Mizuki. Even worse, he had dragged his best friend down with him and Naruto had ended up suffering right along side him.

And yet here was Sakura, going on like nothing had changed between them and never once showing the slightest sign of bitterness or blame toward him.

He shook his head trying to free himself from clouds of what if's now closing in around him. He looked down and stared at his bandage. He knew he was going to need her help getting into his shirt as well as into the sling.

He rubbed his hand over his face and took in a deep breath, trying to force the unpleasant thoughts away. Instead he focused on trying to work his left arm again.

While Sakura had been asleep, he had tried to stretch out his left arm and flex his fingers but when his arm started screaming and throbbing he had actually considered taking the goddamn pain medication and being done with it.

Thankfully, the anxiety had kicked in at the thought. That level of sleep would make him vulnerable and with Naruto already distracted and Sakura now part of whatever this all was, he would need to stay alert. Slipping into his old role of protector didn't bother him a bit. But the possibility of failing again, did.

Even though they were dealing with the Uchiha crime family the odds of things working out seemed in their favor. He and Naruto weren't kids anymore, Gaara thought as he finished his coffee and reached for his cigarettes. They were older now and had enough experience between the two of them to survive most anything this city could throw at them.

Lighting a smoke, Gaara took a long drag and froze.

The meeting with Sasuke. "Shit." The penny he had been waiting on finally dropped. The Uchiha was going to try and hire them.

Taking another hit from his smoke, he closed his eyes and wondered if Naruto was already aware of Sasuke's intentions. Had he already agreed to Sasuke's offer?

No. No matter how reckless his best friend was being, Gaara knew Naruto would never make a decision like that without first talking it over with him. Gaara opened his eyes.

But for how much longer?

The orphanage, the escape, their survival on the streets of New York city and now California. How much longer did he expect for the two of them to keep running side by side? Konan and now Sasuke had pulled the blond away even if only temporarily. Gaara knew that sooner or later he'd have to face the possibility Naruto would want a life of his own.

Playing with these eventual scenarios had always left Gaara feeling a bit lonely. He was never bitter or jealous of his friend's ability to connect and form bonds with others, but instead would sometimes find himself wishing he had some kind of anchor in his own life other than Naruto.

Of course Gaara was prepared for the day it would happen but he had always thought there was still time. Time for the two of them to run a bit farther together before having to go their separate ways.

Crushing out the last of his cigarette in the nearby ashtray, Gaara took a deep breath and made up his mind.

Though the idea of he and Naruto getting sucked farther into the criminal underworld made Gaara's nerves fray, if his best friend decided staying in New York with Sasuke was what he wanted, Gaara would join the clan with him. He owed him that much.

If the blond decided that California was the second chance he needed, then Gaara would stay by his side and see it through.

He wouldn't be able to protect his best friend forever but he'd sure as hell make sure Naruto would have the best shot at a better life before he left his side. Naru was the only family he had. He wasn't about to bail on him now.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes. Sore and naked he slowly lifted his head. Half his body was draped over Sasuke and both their legs were entwined and caught snug in the twisted red satin sheets.

Trying to take it all in, his mind played the morning over in his head. Looking up he could see the object that had started it all and looking down, his face settled on the sleeping mobster nestled underneath him.

The sight of Sasuke sleeping peacefully took his breath away.

No smugness, no hard stoic mask, nothing at all now shielded the soft porcelain features that surrounded his sharp defined cheekbones. Sasuke's character had ultimately been proven similar. A hard-edged, ruthless man somehow fully capable of the gentleness of passion.

And when Sasuke had unleashed his passion, the fierce and volatile nature of it had entranced Naruto, making him succumb to all of Sasuke's, as well as his own darkest desires.

There was no anger or rage in Sasuke's aggression, but rather an insatiable hunger and need to push Naruto to the edge of pleasure and pain; taking the blond to the very limits of ecstasy. It wasn't something Naruto completely understood. But as he lay there exhausted and muscles aching from what Sasuke had done to him for hours on end, Naruto knew he'd never be the same. Uchiha Sasuke had in one night irrevocably changed him.

Sasuke stirred and shifted underneath him. Ignoring the stirring in his groin the movement caused, Naruto slowly untangled his leg and lifted himself off of his lover.

He knew goodbye was only a few short hours away and though he wouldn't permit himself to give into bitterness, he wasn't about to set himself up for a harder fall than necessary either. Leaving the Uchiha was going to take all of Naruto's willpower. Reminding himself of Gaara and California he took a deep breath as he moved to the other side of the bed and silently accepted the way things would have to be.

As he turned, Naruto's whole body twinged and throbbed. On his side and facing away from Sasuke, he tried to stretch his now stiff limbs and cringed at the soreness that radiated through each muscle and every bone. It was a delicious pain. He smiled and closed his eyes to the memories of the past few hours and that strange contraption above Sasuke's bed when suddenly he felt a familiar pair of strong hands grab his waist and pull him backwards.

Sasuke pulled Naruto to him. Once flush against each other, with his dick sliding against the crack of Naruto's firm tan ass, Sasuke wrapped one leg over the blond's thighs and tucked his arms underneath Naruto's shoulders. Using the leverage he pulled his lover back taut, so his whole body stretched and bowed against Sasuke.

"Oh God, Sasuke," Naruto groaned as he felt his still sore muscles pull and give.

Kissing and sucking on Naruto's shoulder, he then moved one of his hands across the tan stomach while his other hand found his lover's neck. Wrapping his fingers around Naruto's throat just under his chin he stretched his neck back.

Scraping his nails across his firm stomach, Sasuke bit down hard on Naruto's shoulder. The moans coming from his lover had Sasuke already fully erect and dripping as he pressed his cock harder against Naruto ass.

He couldn't seem to keep his hands off Naruto. The second he had woken up and found the blond moving to the other side of the bed, Sasuke was overcome with the need to drag him back against him, touch him, taste him and utterly possess him.

It would soon be noon and Sasuke wasn't about to let his lover go before their time was up. Lifting his mouth to the blond's ear, he bit the lobe. "Tell me, Naruto."

Naruto's dick jumped and his heart raced at Sasuke's words. It was the same game they had played all morning. He couldn't believe that even after hours of vigorous sex he was again achingly hard and panting for his lover. The words Sasuke had wrenched from him over and over for hours stuck in Naruto's throat. He knew if he held them back, Sasuke would escalate his teasings until he gave in. If he gave them up immediately, then his lover would comply to his request.

It was a simple game of power Sasuke had set up between them, with pleasure and pain as the reward. No matter his choice, Naruto had to give up or give in to Sasuke. He had tried to hold out once while they had played with that infernal contraption over his bed, and Naruto had ended up shamelessly screaming and begging Sasuke near the end.

He wasn't interested in that happening again.

Of course he could just overpower the Uchiha. As much as he knew he could match Sasuke's raw power when it came to sex, Naruto had no doubt he could easily best the Uchiha if he really wanted to.

But Naruto didn't want to. A smile formed on his lips as Sasuke tightened his grip around his throat. He didn't want to, _yet._

Naruto reached behind him and took hold of Sasuke's hips and pulled them forward, thoroughly grinding his ass against Sasuke's cock.

Moaning with pleasure, the dark eyed gangster bit down on his lover's throat and squeezed his hand tighter, constricting Naruto's airway. "Tell me what you want, Naruto."

"Sas…s'ke… "

He loosened his grip to allow the boy to speak the words he now craved to hear. "Tell me."

One of Naruto's hands reached up behind his head and fisted into Sasuke's hair, pulling his mouth harder against his neck. "I want you to fuck me," he gritted out.

In an instant, Naruto was on his back and Sasuke was moving to settle himself between his legs. Lifting his arms, Naruto reached over his head and found the headboard. His deep blue eyes, dark with lust were now locked onto his lover as he smiled, now knowing just how to provoke Sasuke, how to push him to give Naruto everything he wanted from him.

Naruto widened his knees and flattened his hands against the headboard. He pushed against it and arched his body up. "I want you to fuck me _hard_."

Sasuke's breath caught. The black depths of his eyes flared and he licked his lips at the sight of Naruto again hungry for him. With a small sly smile tugging at his mouth and a dark glint in his eyes, Sasuke grabbed the writhing hips beneath him and complied.

* * *

It was ten to two when Naruto and Sasuke walked into the club. Gaara was already waiting at the table Juugo had shown him to when he had arrived five minutes prior.

His sharp green eyes took in the Uchiha. Relaxed and confident he strolled through the club's stage door toward the center front table where the redhead was smoking and waiting. In a white long-sleeve shirt and pinstriped vest, Sasuke managed to look not at all like the ruthless criminal he was but instead like an unassuming businessman.

A businessman about to make us an offer we'd be hard pressed to refuse, he bitterly thought.

Trying to steer his eyes away from the Uchiha, he let his gaze fall upon his best friend. The redhead was happy to see that Naruto too had chosen to dress in his familiar brown cords and cotton shirt. His black suspenders were hanging on his hips and Naruto yanked them up and onto his shoulders as he strode toward him.

"Hey Gaara! How's the arm?" Naruto beamed at the sight of his best friend. He noticed the sling and clothes and couldn't help but smile at the redhead's choice.

"It's been better." Gaara took a drag of his cigarette and looked his friend over. He could faintly make out a hickey that the collar of Naru's cotton shirt didn't completely hide and he could tell he hadn't had enough rest. Other than that and the obvious change in Naruto's eyes, the blond looked no worse for wear.

"How's Sakura doing?" Naruto's eyes dimmed slightly and Gaara caught it.

"She's holding up fine, considering." The redhead lowered his eyes and then brought them back up to the apprehensive blue ones staring back. "I think there'll be time for catching up later."

Naruto nodded understanding there were still things left unsaid.

Sasuke stepped up to the table and pulled out a chair. "Juugo, could you make sure lunch is brought out with a few beers?" He turned to the men around the table and seemed to consider something before turning back to Juugo. "And please bring Tenten with you when you return."

Juugo paused for a moment and then nodded to Sasuke before turning and heading toward the kitchen.

Gaara noted Juugo's reaction and wondered if it was due to Sasuke wanting Tenten to be included or at the mobster's use of the word, _please_. He glanced again at Naruto's bright blue eyes staring back at him and wondered just who had changed whom.

"Gaara." The redhead immediately turned at the sound of his name. Sasuke sat down at the table in the chair across from him and regarded the redhead respectfully. "I want to express my sincere thanks for what you and Naruto did last night."

Gaara nodded at the mobster, not really knowing how to say it wasn't really a planned intervention the two friends had undertaken but more of a spur of the moment, ' _we must be crazy,'_ knee-jerk reaction to seeing the two thugs enter the nightclub. The redhead glanced at Naruto. That and he didn't want to see his best friend caught up in another hard to bear loss.

Quickly he darted his eyes away from his friend and back to the Uchiha.

Sasuke pointed to Gaara's pack of smokes. "May, I?"

Gaara took the pack, shook a stick free and offered it to him. "Please."

Sasuke nodded in thanks and took the smoke. The redhead immediately produced matches and Sasuke leaned in for the light. "Thank you." He took a long pull of the cigarette and let it go slowly. The gangster's dark eyes searched the green ones staring back. "Whatever you need. Medication, surgery, anything. Considered it covered. And of course the hotel room is still yours for however long you want to use it," he said taking another drag and going on, "All meals and necessities included."

"That's very generous of you, Sasuke." Gaara could see the Uchiha trying to read his face and figured if he could see it in Sasuke's face then no doubt Sasuke could see the same in Gaara's. "Thank you."

Naruto watched the silent dance between his best friend and Sasuke. Every move, each gesture and word, all carrying volumes of meaning known only to the two of them. He wondered how long it would take before the two men finally gave up and just came out and said whatever the fuck was on their minds. He could tell Gaara was chewing pretty hard on a few thoughts and knew the redhead was holding back. He could also see a slight apprehension in Sasuke's eyes that given the Uchiha's penchant for thriving under pressure, made Naruto mildly nervous. How these two men could say so much to each other without saying anything at all had Naruto shaking his head at the sight.

Sasuke took another long drag of the cigarette and then put it out in the ashtray just as Juugo and Tenten walked up. "Good, you're here." Sasuke motioned to the other chairs. "Have a seat." Taking a deep breath, Sasuke looked to Naruto and back to Gaara. "Now, I would like to hear your thoughts on what went down last night."

Naruto and Gaara exchanged a look. The blond nodded to his friend to toss the smokes his way and Gaara slid them to his right. "What exactly do you want to know?" Naruto asked with a cigarette clenched between his teeth. Without looking up, he slowly lit it and took a deep drag.

He knew he was stalling; trying to keep his stomach from doing that annoying flip whenever he would meet Sasuke's piercing black orbs. Naruto slide the smokes back to Gaara and didn't miss his friends snide look. He rolled his eyes at the redhead and lifted his gaze toward Sasuke, only to find the Uchiha was now looking at Gaara.

"I want to know how you spotted them and what you think they were after." Sasuke glanced at Naruto but then quickly turned again to the redhead. "Something tells me you got a good read on them and I'd like to know what you know."

Sasuke hadn't missed the way Naruto was trying to avoid eye contact. It wasn't until he finally glanced at the bright blues looking back that he realized the blond had the right idea.

In that one instant, Sasuke felt the heat from his lover's eyes boring into his own. Former lover, his mind corrected and immediately Sasuke decided better to focus on the redhead instead.

Gaara nodded at him. He looked to Naruto and the blond motioned for him to go ahead. Gaara rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. "Almost a year ago, we had a run in with the two men from last night." Gaara turned and met the Uchiha's gaze. "Up near Manhattan. Near Chinatown. That's how we were able to spot them." Gaara shot a ' _deal with your feelings already cuz I'm not going to keep this shit up'_ look over to Naruto and the blond picked up on the hint. The redhead didn't want to do all the talking.

"It was an ambush." Naruto clenched the cigarette between his lips and leaned back in his chair as both his hands went behind his head to stretch his still sore muscles. He caught Sasuke's dark look at his stretched out chest and quickly lowered his arms. "They uh… baited us into an alley fight and just when we thought we had them on the run, five other guys who had been lying in wait, jumped us." Naruto took a drag of his smoke and tried to keep his stomach from doing that annoying flip, but it didn't work. "Those aren't faces you forget."

Naruto darted his eyes away and examined his cigarette.

"Hn." Sasuke nodded in agreement just as the food was being brought out. A large pot roast was set in front of them, sliced and garnished with potatoes, carrots and mushrooms. Glasses were filled with ice cold water and bottles of beer were opened and set all around. "Help yourselves and enjoy."

Sasuke hadn't missed Naruto's reaction and he quietly took pleasure in his ability to provoke the blond. Reaching for his beer, he again pushed his lustful thoughts of the blond away and tried to stay focused on the situation at hand.

They all served themselves and dug into the meat and drinks that were laid out for them. Sasuke took drink of his beer and continued. "Did you know the woman?"

"No." Naruto swallowed his bite and went on. "Gaara noticed her right away. I marked the two rats when they entered the club but Gaara caught the gun stash on the woman right away." Naruto jerked his chin toward his friend.

"How did the two guys get their guns past security?" Tenten finally spoke up and looked the two friends over.

Gaara turned left to the brunette sitting a chair over from Sasuke. "When I headed down to the floor to look for them and for security, I saw one of them come out of the kitchen and the other come through the stage door."

Sasuke's head snapped up from his plate and he locked eyes with the redhead. A quick understanding exchanged between them.

"They had someone on the inside," Tenten answered for them. She looked to Sasuke but his eyes were fixed on Gaara's.

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking." Gaara and Sasuke stared at each other. No, the Uchiha wasn't a fool. It was hard for Gaara not to respect the man. He didn't dislike Sasuke, it was just that the man was dangerous. Gaara wasn't trying to keep the mobster away from his best friend out of some kind of jealousy. He was only trying to keep Naruto alive and make sure the blond had an honest chance at something better than being a criminal for the rest of his life. Maybe it wasn't Gaara's responsibility to see to Naruto's future but the redhead didn't care. Naru was his family and as long as the blond let him, he intended to keep looking out for him.

"As for their ultimate goal," Gaara went on; eyes still locked on Sasuke's, "I think it was a hit." The Uchiha didn't flinch or react. Gaara had suspected Sasuke already figured out the attack was a mob hit. Given that his brother had met his end less than a year ago, Sasuke would have to be dense to think they wouldn't come after him next.

Gaara was now positive that Sasuke wanting to know what he and Naruto thought the gunman were after was his way of trying to read the two of them and get a close up feel of just how sharp they were.

The redhead kept his eyes steeled. There was no way Gaara would ever underestimate the Uchiha from here on out. "The only reason rats like those guys branch out so far from their territory would be opportunity and money." He leveled his eyes at Sasuke. "Their suits looked new, like they were bought by someone who didn't know their size and they had either one or two people on the inside of an Uchiha run business. That takes money. And connections."

Gaara took a deep breath and motioned to Naruto to pass the smokes. If he was gonna talk this much he was gonna need another cigarette and another beer.

As if reading his mind, Sasuke turned around and motioned for the waiter who was dutifully standing next to the kitchen door. He jumped at Sasuke's signal, hurried across the empty dance floor and up to their table.

"Yes, Sasuke."

"Bring us some more beers and another pack of cigarettes." The waiter nodded then bowed slightly and headed back to the kitchen.

Sasuke took another swig of his beer and then leaned back in his chair, his knees casually widening as he rested his arm on the back of the empty seat to his right. "The security I had manning the floor last night were found stabbed in the kitchen." He looked to Gaara and then to Naruto. "There's no way to know whether they were involved or not."

Taking another sip of his beer, Sasuke continued, "We found them after the police arrived. At the very least the bodies helped convince the detectives our actions were in self-defense," he finished, rather bored while taking in the faces around the table. Not seeing any reaction or surprise, he figured he was right in assuming, no one else had a clue whether his two former hires were playing both sides.

Naruto couldn't help but notice how cavalier Sasuke was being about the deaths of his two security guards. He wasn't expecting tears or mourning but he was surprised by his lack of concern over the loss of life. If the life of a crime boss prevented Sasuke from becoming too attached to those he employed, Naruto was glad he wasn't one of them.

Glancing around the table, Sasuke's eyes settled on the blond and a subtle crease touched his brow. He could tell Naruto expected something more from him regarding his news about the two deaths in the kitchen. Naruto shifted his eyes away and Sasuke made a mental note to revisit this matter another time.

Just then the waiter reappeared and set more beer bottles and a new pack of smokes onto the table. After opening each bottle and setting them out around the table, the waiter bowed and returned to his post.

"Juugo," Sasuke decided to move on. "Did you find anything out at Pierrepont Place?

The large man with ginger hair sitting on Gaara's left, spoke up. "I tossed their rooms and found some cash hidden behind the toilet but nothing else."

Sasuke nodded, satisfied. Pushing his plate away from him, he took the pack of cigarettes from the table and begun to pack them, pausing only to reach for a beer bottle and down a quick gulp. His hands and fingers made deft work of opening the pack, pulling out a stick and offering one first to Naruto and then to Gaara. Both men took a cig, but when he got to Juugo and Tenten, his two employees politely declined.

He then turned his attention to Naruto. If he was going to make the pair an offer, he might as well get to it.

"One more thing… " Juugo continued and Sasuke immediately turned back to face him. Juugo seemed to be debating whether or not the information was relevant enough to mention. After a moment he spoke up, "while I was looking around, I noticed all the wastebaskets were empty and the kitchen trash had been taken out." The ginger stared at Sasuke, waiting for his boss to let him know if these small details were important.

Naruto shot a look at Gaara and the redhead nodded in agreement.

"Well, it's not an absolute but it does raise suspicion." Sasuke glanced around the table taking in the nodding agreements from Gaara and Naruto as well as the quiet acknowledgement in Tenten's eyes. "Thank you, Juugo."

The ginger seemed please with his boss's reply and promptly returned to the meal in front of him.

Gaara had sensed the shift in mood on the Uchiha. While he couldn't quite call it nervousness, he could feel the air around the mobster become heavier. He knew Sasuke was about to pick his moment and the redhead tried to keep his anger in check. He didn't want to show his anger but the more he thought about Naruto's attraction to Sasuke and how the gangster was now about to take full advantage of those feelings to encourage Naru to take his offer, the more Gaara's irritation and discontent rose.

As Sasuke's eyes settled on Gaara, the reproach he saw in the redhead's face bothered him. He'd rather the redhead hate him or be jealous than try to pass judgement on him. The look was hard for Sasuke to ignore.

Never one to back down, he held the man's gaze and decided to push forward anyway. "Gaara, I'm sure you are aware of the main reason I asked you and Naruto to join me today."

Naruto's head shot up and he looked at his best friend. "Gaara?" He knew his friend had been sitting on something to say since he and Sasuke first entered the club. Not getting a reply from him, Naruto then faced Sasuke. "I don't understand."

"Sasuke wants us to join the Uchiha Clan." Gaara's eyes hardened slightly at the mobster sitting across from him. He took another pull on his smoke. He forced himself not to glare at the man who was now going to try and tempt his best friend to risk his life by becoming part of a dangerous crime family but his restraint was waning.

Finally breaking his gaze, Gaara turned to Naruto; his best friend's blue eyes stared back at him questioningly. With a deadened stare and bite in his voice, Gaara raised a brow at the blond. "No good deed goes unpunished."

"Gaara… " Naruto rose to his feet not really knowing what to expect, and moved to stand next to his best friend. It wasn't quite a direct insult to the crime boss but he was sure Sasuke had killed men for less. He quickly shot a look at the Uchiha to gauge his reaction.

Gaara made no move.

"It's alright, Naruto." Sasuke lifted his hand and motioned for him to sit back down. The entire table could feel Gaara's animosity toward the Uchiha.

A slight delicate movement on his right caught his attention and Sasuke barely noticed Tenten move her hands. Knowing the moment was quickly becoming tense, he still couldn't help feeling a sense of satisfaction at his choice to bring her into his circle.

Sasuke then looked at Juugo who he could see was already tense and slowly reaching inside his jacket. "Juugo." The large man's eyes darted from Gaara and Naruto to Sasuke. "It's fine. Leave it."

As calm washed over him, Sasuke took a moment to appreciate the situation. The tension was almost comforting. Tension and adrenaline were part of the business and he'd come to enjoy the sensation whenever it presented itself. But it was his nervousness at waiting for Naruto's reaction that had the seasoned mobster feeling a bit off-kilter.

Sasuke raised a hand and snapped his fingers for the waiter. "Have them clear the table and bring us some bourbon." Sasuke said to the man once he arrived at his side.

"Yes, Sasuke." The man nodded and quickly headed back to the kitchen. Immediately staff began to hurry out and toward the table. As Sasuke took out another smoke to light, he glanced around him. He marked disapproval and nervousness all around him, but it was Naruto's blue eyes, blazing with fire that pulled at his nerves and piqued his interest most.

As the kitchen staff cleared the table and placed a large bottle of bourbon in front of the Uchiha, the dark eyed crime boss settled his gaze on the blond and spoke. "Naruto, it's alright… have a seat."

The the blond slowly moved to sit back down, marking each person at the table carefully. Gaara was intently watching Sasuke and Juugo was tense and appeared to be waiting for someone to make a move. Tenten looked the most relaxed of them all, but Naruto noticed her hands were no longer on the table but in her lap. It didn't take a genius to figure out she probably already had some weapon or another pointed at one or both of them. And Sasuke… Sasuke was busy pouring five glasses of bourbon while clenching a lit cigarette between his lips.

"While I don't agree with the punishment accusation, it is true that I am prepared to offer you both a position within my organization."

Sasuke handed a glass to Naruto. His stoic mask was still firmly in place but the blond could have sworn a slight humor danced behind the black depths.

One by one, the mobster handed each one a glass, until he got to Gaara. The redhead held his own against the Uchiha and kept his green eyes fixed on him without a trace of emotion. He could still see a hint of disapproval in them but it was slowly fading. Sasuke had to admit he was a bit impressed. He held out a glass to Naruto's best friend, "Naruto is lucky to have a friend like you."

It really was hard to dislike the Uchiha. Gaara nodded to the gangster and accepted the the drink.

Sasuke took his own glass and held it up to Gaara. "I've been accused of being many things but never stupid." He leveled his eyes at the redhead, "If I was a careless or foolhardy man, I wouldn't consider offering the two of you a job."

Gaara took the point and raised his glass to the gangster in return. He softened his eyes and nodded at Sasuke as they both drank. "Then we understand each other," Gaara added after he downed a gulp of the booze.

Sasuke's brows flicked and a soft light played in his eyes. "We do." He lifted the glass to his lips and finished off the bourbon. Setting the glass on the table he looked to Naruto and wasn't at all pleased by the blond's expression. Leaning back in his chair, he took another pull of his cigarette and decided to give the blond a moment to take it all in.

Naruto wasn't sure whether to be flattered or insulted that these two men were quietly claiming responsibility for his well-being. It was obvious that Gaara didn't appreciate Sasuke trying to lure Naruto deeper into the criminal underworld but it was Sasuke's subtle implication at being able to protect him from danger that bothered Naruto even more.

He could feel his temper flaring. He was not a child who needed to be taken care of. In part he could understand Gaara's reaction. They had California to think of. A new beginning and a new life without all the danger of New York's city streets awaited them out west. Getting themselves deeper into the gangster life was not what either of them wanted.

But Sasuke. After the night they spent together, did Sasuke really believe that Naruto was some kind of child that needed to be looked after? Was that what this was? An attempt at keeping him close in the guise of offering him job just so he could get Naruto off the streets and into his bed?

Naruto's hands fisted close. "I don't need _anyone's_ protection." He could feel his blood heating and though he tried to keep it under control, he could feel the anger rising within him.

Naruto glared at Sasuke. He had told him of his and Gaara's plans to leave for California only a few hours ago. They had talked about lots of things during their final shower together back in Sasuke's suite. Why Sasuke chose to stay in such a dangerous business. His brother, Itachi, and Naruto and Gaara's plans for California. He remembered wondering at the time why it felt so easy and familiar talking to the dangerous crime boss. The two of them lying against each other in the tub, with Sasuke's arms wrapped around him and Naruto leaning back against him casually speaking about life as if at that moment, they were the only two people in the world.

"You knew." Naruto's blue eyes flared at Sasuke.

"I knew that you and Gaara needed to decide together." Sasuke kept his face blank. He wasn't sure why Naruto's anger made him nervous but he needed to try and quell it before things became misunderstood. "I wanted to make sure I talked to you both… together." Sasuke glanced at Gaara and then back to Naruto. "It didn't seem appropriate to bring up the topic prior to now."

To his credit, Sasuke didn't shy away from his words. He kept his eyes locked on the blond and waited for his response.

Naruto immediately felt his anger begin to subside as he took in Sasuke's meaning. Knowing Sasuke wasn't trying to use their night together to influence Naruto's decision on whether or not to join the Uchiha's crew calmed him down. As his mind quickly tried to take in every possible angle, Naruto's mind finally struck on the realization that Sasuke's reluctance to think about the two of them beyond their one night was because he intended their relationship to be strictly professional from here on out.

Sasuke watched as Naruto reached the conclusion he had been waiting for. The blond was so easy to read. He noticed his cigarette had gone out and he tossed it into the ashtray. Pouring himself another drink he glanced over at Juugo and Tenten. "Should Gaara and Naruto decide to stay, I would like the both of you to see to all the arrangements."

Juugo and Tenten nodded in response. "I think giving them some time to consider my offer would be best," Sasuke continued. "I'll notify the two of you soon."

Tenten took a deep breath and placed both her hands back on the table. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to head back to the hotel lobby and continue working on the renovations there." Tenten then reached for her drink and downed her entire glass of bourbon without so much as a wince from the burn of it and then looked back at the men around the table.

Naruto let out a low chuckle and a humored light shone in Gaara's eyes as he watched at her. The woman was definitely one of a kind, Gaara thought.

A small smile tugged at Sasuke's mouth. Tenten's way of always knowing how to cut the tension was just one of the many reasons he was glad to have hired her on. "Of course." He lifted his hand and motioned for her to go ahead.

As Tenten left the table, Juugo nodded to Sasuke. A silent knowing passed between the two. The ginger stood up from the table, nodded to both Naruto and Gaara and then took his leave.

Naruto and Gaara looked at each other as Sasuke poured the three of them another round. He raised an eyebrow at his friend and the blond nodded in response.

"Sasuke… "

"I know, Naruto." Sasuke interrupted him. He handed them each another drink and looked at the two men. "Before you both leave to discuss things, I'd like to make my offer a bit more clear." He took a sip of the bourbon and leaned back into his chair.

Sasuke again turned his attention to the redhead. "Naruto told me the two of you will be leaving New York in a few months."

Gaara didn't show any reaction to the knowledge that his best friend had confided in the Uchiha but he made a mental note to make sure and talk to Naruto about it later.

Catching the slightest flicker in the green eyes in front of him, Sasuke draped his arms on the backs of the seats on either side of him and held his relaxed tone. "I'd like to hire you both. Obviously, there is the matter of the hit on my life to contend with as well as your plans to leave New York." Sasuke looked from one man to the other. "Naruto said you would be leaving in in October. Until then, I'd like to hire you both for the next five months to help me find out who ordered the hit."

Gaara and Naruto exchanged a look. "I thought the Uchiha Clan was a lifetime membership." Naruto turned to face Sasuke.

Sasuke leaned forward, lit a cigarette and took a long drag. With elbows on the table, he steepled his hands in front of his chest and stared at the two friends as he let out a long breath. "California is a long way from New York. Chasing down two former employees who risked their lives to save mine would not only be a waste of my time and money but it would also be a distasteful way of saying thank you."

"You'd let us just leave?" Naruto's gaze locked onto Sasuke's warm black eyes. He hated himself for hoping that maybe the Uchiha would try and convince him to stay. He knew he could never break his promise to Gaara and that there was no way he'd be able to stay with Sasuke in New York, but still a small part of him pulled at the memory of their night together and made the blond silently wish the two of them could have a chance to explore something other than a business relationship.

"I am down two crew members and have a hit out on my life." Sasuke tried to ignore the look in Naruto's eyes. Darting his eyes away from the softness of Naruto's look, Sasuke turned to Gaara and continued, "I need to pull the best talent if I want to keep myself in the game. If that means loosening up on rules and taking an unconventional approach to things, then so be it."

Gaara nodded at Sasuke, fully understanding that if they accepted his offer the mobster was willing to let them leave for California come October. He looked over at Naruto and realized the blond's emotions were playing far too close to the surface. He glanced back at Sasuke and saw that now he too was taking in Naruto's current expression. The redhead looked from one to the other and downed his glass of bourbon.

Naruto took a deep breath as he stared at Sasuke. "And that's what you want us for?" His blue eyes dimmed. He didn't want to show his disapproval but he couldn't stop himself. "To help keep you in the game?"

And here they were again, Sasuke thought. Back to the conversation they had shared only hours ago while bathing in his suite. Naruto couldn't understand why Sasuke wanted to stay in this criminal lifestyle and Sasuke couldn't get Naruto to understand that his clan was his family. He was bound by honor and code to follow them, help them, and if it was called for, to avenge them. His family was his blood. And now that Itachi was gone, his clan and his parents were all he had left. The way Naruto and Gaara were bound to each other, was the way Sasuke was bound to the Uchiha clan.

"If you accept my offer, yes." Sasuke held Naruto's eyes with his own. "You'll have an apartment, clothes and a forty dollar weekly salary while you're employed with me." Sasuke took another hit of his cigarette. "Aside from helping me secure the club, you'll both be my personal bodyguards during any excursions." Breaking away from Naruto's judgemental eyes, Sasuke turned to Gaara. "But first and foremost, you both would be working side by side with Juugo and a few others on my crew to investigate the other clans in the borough."

"You think one of them ordered the hit?" Gaara tried to keep their focus on business matters and away from the emotional storm he could see brewing on his best friends face.

"I'm not ruling anything out." Sasuke examined his booze-filled glass and briefly wondered what Itachi would do in this situation. His brother had always been more adept at seeing what was just underneath the surface of things. He quickly shoved the thoughts away and became angry at himself for giving in to nostalgia. Now was not the time for weakness.

Looking back up at Naruto and Gaara, Sasuke knew it was time to leave the men to talk things over between themselves. "Whatever you both decide, there will always be a table for you here at the club." He glanced to Gaara and back to Naruto. "The hotel room is yours for as long as you want and the front desk will know how to reach me once you've made your decision."

Just then the lights in the club went dark and then flicked back on. The kitchen staff came bolting out and up to their table. Gaara and Naruto froze and stared at Sasuke as the Uchiha held up a hand to them both; a signal to keep still.

"What the fuck is- "

"Police are entering the hotel lobby." Sasuke cut Naruto off. He turned to them both and motioned for them to keep their seats, as the staff hurriedly replaced their glasses and booze with pitchers of water and bottles of Cola. The pop was immediately uncapped and littered about the table.

The staff quickly rushed back into the kitchen and Sasuke casually lit another cigarette at their departure. With steady smooth grace, he shook the pack and offered the exposed smoke to the redhead.

Gaara was beginning to hate how much he didn't dislike the Uchiha. Taking the cigarette, he nodded to the gangster and lit his smoke.

Sasuke then offered one to Naruto and watched as the blond's lips curved into a sly half grin. He lifted a brow at Naruto's expression and waited to see if the blond would explain.

"This is your favorite part." Naruto could see the excitement playing in Sasuke's eyes. As the adrenaline pumped between all of them, the blond noted just how much the Uchiha was enjoying the anticipation of whatever would come next.

Sasuke's face remained unchanged as he looked back at Naruto. "No. Not my _favorite_ part." Letting the lust fill his eyes for just a split second, Sasuke relished the reaction in Naruto. A light heat rose in the blond's cheeks just as the doors to the club entrance opened.

All three men looked up toward the balcony entrance and watched as a man with shocking white hair approached the balcony railing and looked back down at them. The man had a black scarf wrapped high around his neck that covered most of his face and a black fedora tipped far to the left and pulled down over his left eye. Tufts of white hair shot out from under the hat on the right side of his head and it was unclear whether his hair was meant to keep his hat in place or if the hat was an effort to try and tame down his hair.

Must be a detective, Naruto thought. The man wasn't wearing any type of police uniform but rather a trim dark grey and black suit. He could see the man slowly taking in all three of them, as if trying to discern why the private meal was necessary. Naruto tensed and hoped this man wouldn't make trouble for him and Gaara.

"Oiy! Sasuke!" The man shouted down as he shot a hand into the air. He then started down the stairs and reaching the bottom, walked straight over to the three men. "I'm surprised to see you open today." The man casually looked each one of them over. "I guess it would take more than a few gunshots to scare off an Uchiha, hmm?"

"Kakashi." Sasuke took a long drag of his cigarette as a bored look washed across his face. "Your surprise visits are becoming a pain. Can't you see I'm busy?" He reached for one of the soda pop bottles and took a swig. "I don't have time for wannabe cops."

Kakashi pushed both his hands into his pockets as he looked from the Uchiha, to Naruto and finally to Gaara where his full attention settled on the redhead's sling. "These boys look like they had a rough night." He then fixed his one visible eye back onto Sasuke. "You should take better care of your foot soldiers, Uchiha."

"They're acquaintances of mine. We just finished lunch and were discussing whether or not the Yankees would sweep the series again this year." Sasuke's eyes shone with delight as he met Kakashi's stare.

"Like you give a fuck about baseball." Kakashi took a seat next to Gaara. "Word is out, Sasuke. Someone's trying to take you down." Kakashi picked up a Cola and took a drink. "Ugh, this is soda pop!" He placed the bottle back onto the table. "What, all out of the hooch today?"

Sasuke sighed. "Kakashi, you're not a cop. You're a police liaison for the Japanese immigrant population." He shot a brow up at the white haired man. "If I ever have a problem with my citizenship status, I promise to give you a call."

"No need to be rude, Sasuke-kun," the older man retorted with a touch of humor in his voice. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your _friends_?"

"What do you want, Kakashi?" Sasuke's voice held to his previous bored tone but Naruto could see in his face the Uchiha was losing his patience. The look in his black eyes hardened and the blond wondered just how much longer Sasuke would tolerate this Kakashi guy.

Naruto's blue eyes danced with excitement. And as he watched the subtle power play between Sasuke and Kakashi, he realized he was beginning to enjoy himself as well.

 _To be continued…_

* * *

 **A/N -** So there you have it! One enormous chapter that I hope you all enjoyed and that will tide you over until I can crank out the next one! Now I'm sure some of you will be chomping at the bit to find out the answers to a lot of different things hinted at in this chapter. Well, Dear Reader, I'm afraid you'll just have to keep reading to find out all the juicy details. But because I'm a generous Tandy, I will offer up this for you… in the next chapter our main characters find out just who's at the helm of some of the other notorious crime families in New York and perhaps have their first run-in with one or two of the other clans. There will also be introductions of several characters and…I'm sorry to say… one unfortunate heartbreak for one of our main characters. I'll try and post the next chapter soon! Thanks so much for reading!


	7. Chapter 7: Choices

**Warning** : ANOTHER REALLY LONG CHAPTER!, Language, Implied prostitution

 **Disclaimer** : Kishi gets the money, Tandy gets nuthin'

 **Author's Note** : Whelp this took forever, didn't it? I wanted to give everyone a more detailed look at how things were going to happen and it all just stretched out. Personally, I love scenes with lots of dialogue so this chapter was killing me because I felt like I needed to get it just right in order for you to get a better idea of how I see things inside my head. In my head, the story is vibrant and detailed so it stands to reason that I should be able to convey it all to you, right? If I haven't, I'm sorry but I'm still going to keep giving it my best and hopefully keep chipping away at all my skills and do my best to sharpen them up for future chapters. With that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter and just a heads up, yes, things are going to get a bit more risque and darker from here on out. So, strap in and hang on. Tandy's got quite a few more chapters to go! Also, on a side note, if you're curious to know what Sasuke's mansion looks like in my head, just Google the address. I based the home off of a real location. Enjoy!

* * *

 _Sasuke sighed. "Kakashi, you're not a cop. You're a police liaison for the Japanese immigrant population." He shot a brow up at the white haired man. "If I ever have a problem with my citizenship status, I promise to give you a call."_

" _No need to be rude, Sasuke-kun," the older man retorted with a touch of humor in his voice. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"_

" _What do you want, Kakashi?" Sasuke's voice held to his previous bored tone but Naruto could see in his face the Uchiha was losing his patience. The look in his black eyes hardened and the blond wondered just how much longer Sasuke would tolerate this Kakashi guy._

 _Naruto's blue eyes danced with excitement. And as he watched the subtle power play between Sasuke and Kakashi, he realized he was beginning to enjoy himself as well._

* * *

Chapter 7: Choices

"Now, now, Sasuke," Kakashi urged. "I've tried to tell you that I can be a very valuable asset to you like I was to your brother."

Sasuke's fists came down hard onto the table, causing several bottles to tip over and one or two to roll and crash to the floor. "Don't speak to me about my brother," Sasuke's voice was low and deadly as his temper snapped. "For all I know it was you who set him up at the docks."

"Sasuke… " Kakashi's tone was unchanged as if unaffected by the Uchiha's flash of anger.

Naruto and Gaara exchanged a quick glance and both recognized the other's silent suggestion to stay alert and be ready for anything.

It wasn't like Sasuke to get so easily riled by Kakashi. Normally he'd have him thrown out on sight or after the man had begun to wear on his nerves. Which was usually within seconds.

But he'd been pushed to the edge of restraint today and it was just the man's poor luck to have shown up at this moment. Taking judgement from the damn redhead, not being able to drag Naruto back to his suite, and now having to listen to some two-bit pretend cop try and talk to him about his brother brought the gangster fully into his rage and seeing red.

"Like I would ever trust you," Sasuke gritted out. "I know about the phone call you placed to my brother the night he was killed." His eyes bore into the white haired man. "Gunmen attack _my_ club and all of a sudden, here you are?"

Like the Uchiha he was, Sasuke felt his control coming back to him. His rage was slowly being replaced by his desire for vengeance. Making sure Kakashi paid for setting up his brother brought a slow grin to his face and a dark glint to his eyes.

"Like I said earlier, you're not a cop, Kakashi. If I were you, I'd seriously re-think whether or not you are afforded the same protection as one."

In one seamless, swift fluid motion, Kakashi was up from the table and by Sasuke's side. Had Gaara and Naruto been less attentive they would have sworn the man had simply appeared next to the mobster's chair.

Without thinking Gaara had already made his move and was behind Kakashi with his swiped steak knife from lunch pressed firmly against the man's lower back.

Naruto had instinctively jumped at Kakashi's advancement and grabbed one of the broken soda bottles from the floor. Just as Kakashi pulled his gun from his side holster, aiming it at Sasuke, Naruto already had the jagged edge of a cola bottle pointed too close for comfort at the white-haired man's jugular.

The air in the nightclub stilled.

"Don't threaten me, Uchiha," Kakashi said, still managing to keep a distinct humorous tone his voice. "I am not a man who needs anyone's protection." He darted his eye to Naruto's steeled blue ones and let out a low laugh. "But by all means, if you think you're man enough, please try."

He withdrew his gun from Sasuke's chest, placed it back in its holster and then pushed both his hands into his pockets as he looked at the two men in front of him. Sasuke had held his ground and hadn't moved an inch. Not a bead of sweat to show for the high levels of anxiety they were now all in.

The blond was regarding Kakashi with a strange look of apprehension that Kakashi couldn't quite place and though he couldn't see the redhead, he figured that a man with his arm in a sling able to react that fast and not being shy about how hard he pushed the knife into his back just to let him know it was there, was not a man to be trifled with.

Without so much as shift in his eyes, Sasuke waited for Kakashi's next move. His heart rate remained steady even though the way the redhead and Naruto had jumped to his defense had been a surprise.

He had assumed that Gaara would convince Naruto to decline his offer but now he wondered if they might actually stay and work for him. ' _No,'_ he thought, this was just instinct for them. A deeply ingrained reflex from years of living and surviving on the streets. Definitely great assets to have, he reminded himself.

"You should should pay your foot soldiers more, Sasuke." Kakashi finally stepped back from the table and away from Gaara's knife. He turned and looked over both of Sasuke's protectors and sighed. "Maybe then they'd be able to get themselves a better wardrobe."

Naruto and Gaara lowered their weapons and stepped closer toward Sasuke but no closer to Kakashi.

Nodding his head slightly, Kakashi leveled his one eye at the Uchiha. "I didn't set your brother up. He called _me_ that night."

"What for?" Sasuke's voice was still low and biting.

"He wanted me to- "

The stage door burst open and all men turned toward the sound and readied themselves. Sasuke held to his seat and reached for the pack of cigarettes on the table.

Naruto watched as a man, who bore a striking resemblance to Sasuke, strode toward the table. Naruto looked to Sasuke and watched him light his cigarette and then slowly stand up.

"Sasuke," the older man said as he headed to where Sasuke was now standing. The man's features were hard and calloused but also a weariness that seemed somewhat a opposite of the Uchiha nature.

Stepping past Kakashi like he wasn't even there, Sasuke went to the older man, "Otousan."

"Are you alright, Sasuke?" The man gave a hard look to his son as Sasuke stood in front of him waiting for his father's judgement. "You look fine," the older man added before shooting a glance to the other men standing around the table. "We have things to discuss." His hard tone giving no hint of expecting refusal.

Turning back to the table as he took a drag from his cigarette, Sasuke let out a long breath and regarded each of the men. "Enjoy your stay at the hotel," he nodded to Naruto and Gaara. "You know how to reach me if you need anything." Then giving a quick distasteful glance at Kakashi, Sasuke let his gaze linger on him for a moment. "Don't test my patience again, Kakashi. My brother is gone and I'm nothing like him."

With that, he turned from the men and left with his father back through the stage door.

Gaara and Naruto tossed their makeshift weapons onto the table and headed toward the stairs leading to the club entrance.

"Oiy." The two friends turned back and looked at Kakashi.

Naruto could see the white haired man sizing the both of them up with his eye. Glancing first to Gaara and then settling his eye on Naruto, the blond returned his gaze and the two men regarded each other silently.

"Itachi called me that night and told me that if anything happened to him, to warn his brother," kakashi finally said while keeping his eye firmly on Naruto.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he tried to read the intent of the white haired man. "And you expect me to believe that," he said flatly. After years on the streets of New York's toughest cities, he knew better than to take anything at face value.

Kakashi didn't break his gaze.

"It's been a whole year and you're telling Sasuke this now?" More than anything, Naruto hated when people mistook his blond hair and blue eyes for youthful naivete. Naruto wasn't prone to swallowing bullshit and this Kakashi was underestimating his ability to think for himself.

Letting out a deep sigh, the white haired man dropped his eye and then looked up at the redhead before again focusing only on the blond. "I can't get close to him. Every time I come here, he either throws me out or throws a tantrum." Kakashi pushed past the two men and walked toward the stairs. Stopping when he reach the handrailing, he looked back at them. "I don't trust anyone to get a message to him and the last time I used the phone to speak to an Uchiha, there was an unfortunate explosion at the shipyard."

Naruto examined the man in front of him. While he was quicker to trust than Gaara, he knew better than to trust anyone when it came to the criminal underworld. He wasn't sure Kakashi was telling the truth or not but if the man kept coming back, risking the Uchiha's rage no matter how many times Sasuke kicked him out, then he supposed, at the very least, he was worth listening to.

"To warn Sasuke about what?"

Kakashi took a deep breath and locked his eye onto Naruto. "It was Itachi's final request to me. I won't waste my breath on someone who has no intention of helping me reach his brother," he challenged at the blond.

Naruto took step toward Kakashi, "To warn Sasuke about what?" He repeated, letting the weight of his words carry throughout the nightclub.

Kakashi left the railing and walked back to the two men. Reaching up, he lifted his fedora higher onto his forehead.

Gaara and Naruto stared at the man's left eye. Kakashi had a deep fleshy scar that ran down vertically over the eye from the center of his left eyebrow to the top of his left cheek bone. The eye itself was almost solid white as if dead. Naruto could make out a pupil but had no idea if the man could see out of it.

"His uncle, Madara."

Both friends exchanged a look and then looked back at Kakashi. Uchiha Madara was not a name to be taken lightly. Especially not in this part of town.

Gaara's mind raced. The inside job. The way the two rats had been able to gain access to the Uchiha business. The way their apartment had been cleaned out right under the nose of the other clan members.

Kakashi could tell by the looks on their faces that his words had an impact and that even if they didn't believe him, they weren't about to discount him. He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down as if trying to contemplate something. After a moment, he lifted his head and leveled his piercing mismatched eyes at Naruto. "I'm not counting on either of you believing me but conveying this message to his brother was Itachi's final request to me." Holding to Naruto's blue stare, he continued, "No matter what Sasuke thinks, I would never have sold out Itachi."

Casually, Kakashi walked back to the stair railing and before he began his ascent, he paused and turned his head but didn't look back. "He was my friend."

Not waiting for an answer, Kakashi climbed up the stairs and left the nightclub.

Naruto turned around and faced his friend. He knew there was a lot to talk about and quite a bit of explaining to do. "Gaara… "

The redhead held up his hand to silence his friend. "I think it would be better if we left this place to talk things over."

Naruto took a look around just as the kitchen staff began to enter the club and head toward the table. He nodded to his best friend. Discussing Uchiha matters were better left alone until they could be sure of their privacy.

As they reached the balcony landing that led to the hotel lobby, Naruto looked back down at the club. So much of his life had changed from just one night in this place and now he had to decide just how much farther he wanted to continue on this dangerous path.

Slowly turning away from the view he followed Gaara out the club door and into the hotel lobby.

* * *

They had been in the hotel room for almost twenty minutes and still Gaara hadn't uttered a word. Naruto was starting to wonder if his friend was pissed at him. He had every right to be. First the club shootout, then the all-night ditch and now being faced with an offer from the Uchiha clan that could inevitably keep them from reaching California in one piece.

They hadn't been in their hotel room for more than two minutes before there was a knock at the door. Fresh towels and clothes were brought in by the hotel staff, as well as more bandages and supplies for Gaara. Coffee, a bottle of bourbon and soda pop bottles on ice were also brought in on a cart and left for them.

Naruto had poured himself a drink hoping to get a little drunk before Gaara laid into him about getting them both into this mess with Sasuke.

Twenty minutes later he was feeling pretty relaxed but no less guilty about having caused all this drama simply because he had a hard-on for the Uchiha. From the bed, he quietly watched as Gaara sat on the couch, trying to stretch his arm and flex his fingers while casually sipping on coffee.

The silence was killing him but he figured it was better than facing his best friend's judging green eyes. Taking another sip of the bourbon, he leaned back against the headboard of the large bed and closed his eyes.

"Are you planning to get drunk?"

Naruto's eyes shot open and he looked over at his friend. His blue eyes softened and settled on the green ones now regarding him with concern.

He held up his booze filled glass to his friend and smiled wanly, "Already am a bit." Then he lowered his eyes and took another drink.

Gaara could see the hurt in his best friend's face. He didn't want Naruto feeling guilty for all that had happened and he especially didn't want him thinking that he was somehow upset over his attraction to Sasuke. He simply didn't know where to start and had figured Naruto, who always seemed never-ending with ideas and opinions, would have already begun jabbering on about what he thought would be the best course of action.

"If you want to join up with Sasuke, you don't have to get drunk to break the news to me." Gaara turned slightly on the couch and faced his friend. "I'm not opposed to the idea, I'm only opposed to getting ourselves killed."

"Yeah," the blond replied. Naruto set down his glass on the nightstand and sat up from the headboard.

"You talked to Sakura?" Naruto blurted out. He knew he was stalling.

"Naru… "

Naruto let out a heavy sigh. "I know you don't wanna talk about it but fuck, Gaara! I'm tired of running from my mistakes." Naruto knew where his anger was coming from and the redhead wasn't to blame.

"Are you pissed at me, Naruto?" Gaara eyed his friend and watched as he shut his eyes and leaned back against the headboard.

"I'm sorry, Gaara. I didn't mean to..." Naruto opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. "It's just what am I supposed to say to her? I'm sorry? How could that ever be enough?" He lowered his head and looked at his best friend. "I'm not pissed at you, Gaara. I'm just- "

"I know." Gaara stared at Naruto. "And she didn't bring it up and neither did I."

Naruto nodded. He didn't need Gaara to explain. He knew his friend was in no hurry to start that conversation with Sakura and Naruto knew better than to push Gaara into it but right now his head was a mess and he just wanted to talk about anything other than his feelings about Uchiha Sasuke.

Still, Naruto needed closure. Finding a way to talk to Sakura was just another added stress in this whole situation and if it had to happen when the redhead wasn't around then so be it.

Not feeling quite up to changing topics but knowing things needed to be discussed, Naruto scrubbed his hands over his face and then ran them through his hair and looked at his best friend. "I honestly don't know what to do about Sasuke." His blue eyes searched Gaara's face for clues. "Working for him could earn us the money needed to get started in California but that seems like a weak reason to join the clan."

Seeing no reaction in Gaara he pushed forward. "What do you think we should do, Gaara?"

Naruto hoped his best friend would offer up some kind of advice for what they should do or at the very least, express his anger at the situation so Naruto would have a valid reason for walking away from the Uchiha. They'd always made decisions like this together, and Naruto wasn't going to change that now.

He also wanted to make sure Gaara knew he wasn't about to choose Sasuke over Gaara. All the redhead needed to do was give him some kind of hint that this entire situation was for shit and Naruto would follow him right out the door and not look back.

Gaara set his coffee cup down onto the food cart he had moved closer to where he was sitting on the couch. "I want to get it right this time." He green eyes held Naruto's for a moment before looking away.

"Gaara…" Naruto got up from the bed knowing his friend was referring to their unplanned escape from the orphanage.

"I'm not angry with you, Naruto and I don't blame you for any of this." Gaara held out his good hand and motioned for his friend to keep his distance. "It's alright. We're alright." He looked at Naruto and sighed. "Needing the money is not a weak argument."

"We've got some saved," Naruto added.

Looking at the blond, Gaara nodded at his friend. "We do, but just enough to get us there and then what?"

Naruto paused at his friend's words. He wasn't looking to convince Gaara to stay. He didn't even want him to agree with him about the money angle, but the redhead wasn't offering up any kind of resistance. Naruto reached for his glass and took another gulp. Was Gaara going to just let him decide what they should do?

"Are you saying we should join? Gaara, is that what you really want?" Naruto left his glass on the nightstand and moved to sit down on the foot of the bed to face him. The damn redhead was keeping his face as hard and readless as ever. Naruto didn't understand why it felt like Gaara was being so neutral about it all.

"California was your idea."

"So?" Naruto could hear his words becoming more desperate.

"I'm just along for the ride, Naru," Gaara said, not letting his eyes drop from the blue ones now filled with confusion. "Whatever you decide- "

"No! Dammit, Gaara, that's not fuckng true!" Naruto stood up and took a step toward the couch. "You are not in this just to tag along with me! We're in this together, you and I." Naruto could feel the conversation slipping away from him. Why did it feel like Gaara was trying to say goodbye? Did he actually think that Naruto was gonna just run off with Sasuke and their friendship be damned?

"Naru," Gaara let out a long defeated breath.

"Do you think I would choose him over you?" Naruto's voice dropped and Gaara looked at his best friend's silent determination. He didn't think the blond would choose the Uchiha over him but how to tell his friend that he wouldn't blame him if he did? There are no guarantees in life and you take your chances as they come. What if Sasuke was Naruto's chance? Like the Uchiha or not, what kind of friend would it make him if he tried to stand in Naruto's way?

"Gaara, you tell me right now what you want and it's done. We'll walk. We'll leave for California tonight if you want." Naruto let out an exasperated sigh. "I can't believe you think that I would just up and walk away from all our plans. Or from you."

The redhead held his best friend's stare. "Naruto, what I want is to make sure we get through all this alive. Whether in California or here in New York, it makes no difference." The redhead paused and tilted his head, "Tell me Naruto, what do _you_ want?"

Those damn words again. If Naruto had known what it meant to have a Pavlovian response, he would've cursed the man's name. His stomach did a flip as he broke Gaara's gaze and immediately turned from him. Walking back to the right side of the bed, he grabbed his glass of bourbon off the nightstand and finished it off.

"I can see it in your face, Naru." Gaara said in a low tone.

Naruto didn't really know how to characterize what it was he was feeling about Sasuke but he knew for a fact it was temporary. Naruto knew he wanted out of this kind of life but didn't trust himself to make the decision regarding Sasuke's business offer on his own. If he accepted, would it be because he wanted just a little more time with Sasuke? If he turned it down, would it be for the right reasons or because he was running from whatever the fuck he felt might be between him and the Uchiha?

Gaara's words became soft, "You can't ask me to decide this one for us… for you. I won't. But whatever you choose, I'll see it with you to the end."

Naruto turned back around and faced his best friend. He understood what the redhead was trying to tell him and it made him both grateful and a touch sad that Gaara was letting him know that he had no intention of trying to come between him and Sasuke.

"It was just a one night fling," Naruto said as he walked over to the cart and reached for the bourbon bottle.

Gaara eyed the blond and knew his friend was already trying to hide inside his own denial. "Maybe," he said as he watched Naruto pour himself another glass and take yet another sip of booze.

Naruto heard the doubt in Gaara's reply. Alright, so he did like the Uchiha a bit more than he wanted to, but that still didn't mean he was willing to give up on Gaara or California. He wasn't going to let himself get lost in romantic notions over Sasuke when he and Gaara already had a firm grasp on just what they wanted out of life.

"Five months," Naruto said as he walked over to Gaara.

The redhead nodded at him. "Enough money for a new start."

"In California," Naruto finished.

"I go where you go," Gaara added and Naruto smiled at his friend's words and nodded.

"And I go where you go."

The two friends looked at each other for a moment. They knew it wasn't going to be as easy as they were now trying to make it sound. Getting mixed up in the Uchiha clan was dangerous business and it was a whole other level of the game from where they were used to playing. Especially if Madara had been involved in the hit on Itachi and possibly on Sasuke. Silently, they both nodded to each other, fully understanding all the things they couldn't bring themselves to voice out loud.

Gaara picked up his coffee and Naruto returned to the bed. As the redhead continued to work his left arm through the pain, Naruto laid down on the bed and closed his eyes. He was exhausted. Though the decision had been made, he couldn't shake the weight he felt bearing down onto his shoulders. Risking his and Gaara's lives for some extra money didn't seem as logical as they had both made it sound. He supposed that having each other's back gave them better odds than most but it still didn't seem quite as reassuring as it should have been.

Feeling sleep close, Naruto's mind wandered over Sasuke and the hitmen and that crazy Kakashi. So many questions flooded his mind. Would he and Gaara make it through the next five months? How was he going to face Sakura? Would he be able to protect Sasuke? Was he sure he'd be able to keep his feelings for the man in check? Finally giving into his exhaustion, Naruto took a deep sigh and let sleep claim him.

* * *

It had been two days since taking Sasuke up on his offer. Gaara and Naruto had since cleaned out of their rooftop storage room and joined Juugo at three Pierrepont Place in Brooklyn, settling into their new rooms at the Uchiha home.

Juugo had informed them that Sasuke had purchased the home through several connections, having come up against banks that didn't want to sell the four story luxury fifty-room brownstown to a Japanese immigrant. Once finalizing the deal, Sasuke had paid to have the entire home restored to its historical beauty, much to the delight of the local bluebloods that had originally balked at having the 1857 building sold to a filthy Jap.

The elegance of its original decor that Sasuke had brought back to the home was befitting an Uchiha. The home was decorated wall to wall with red leather chairs, hand-carved kitchen cabinets, domed foyers, marbled floors and floor to ceiling windowed terraces.

Their first day at the home, Naruto and Gaara had remained in quiet awe during their tour with Juugo. After leading them around and showing them every room, he ultimately led them back to the first floor to the side entrance with another set of stairs leading them to the floor below.

Unlocking the door at the bottom of the steps, Juugo led the two men inside. "This is your apartment." Juugo told them. "There's two rooms back in there, a toilet and shower and a full kitchen," he jerked his thumb behind him.

Naruto was glad this place was a far cry from the sophistication of the floors above. It confirmed that he wasn't misreading the nature of Sasuke's offer. He dropped his bags on the floor next to the brown couch and took off his flat cap, tossing it onto the wood coffee table. Dark colored couch,bright tapestry rugs throughout the apartment with white walls in every room. Definitely better than a rooftop storage closet, Naruto thought as he flashed his eyes at Gaara and raised his eyebrows.

Leaving them the keys, Juugo told them to be ready by eight am when he would be showing them how to access the garage before taking them to the club to join up with Sasuke and meet the rest of the crew. Then nodding to them both, Juugo turned and left.

When the door had shut behind Juugo, Naruto reached out and grabbed Gaara's good arm. Pulling his friend back, Naruto flung the redhead backwards and ran past him towards the two rooms.

"Naru..." Gaara called to him as he tried to raise himself off of the couch Naruto had thrown him into.

"Sorry, Gaara! Hope I didn't hurt your arm!" Naruto yelled from one of the rooms. "Nope, not this one!"

"Naru."

"Hang on red, I'm just trying to make sure you get the best room!" Naruto threw his friend a sly grin and he bolted into the other bedroom.

"Naruto."

Coming back to the middle of the hallway where Gaara was standing, Naruto tried to play down being out of breath as he walked up to his friend.

"The room on the right is perfect for you, Gaara." Ignoring the evil glare his best friend was throwing him, Naruto flashed his broadest grin at him. "Cheer up, man. Once your arm heals you won't have to suffer losing to me anymore."

"I didn't lo-"

"Night, Gaara! I'll find an alarm clock and set it for tomorrow. Sweet dreams!" And with that Naruto turned, went into the room on the left and shut the door.

Laying on his own private bed, Naruto looked around his new room. Even if this all was only for the next five months, he could definitely get used to it. It seemed like life was throwing him into a headspin and as he looked around thoroughly approving of his new surroundings, he reminded himself not to forget what this was all about.

He and Gaara had to stay alive and make it to California. In the meantime, they were now the hired protectors of Uchiha Sasuke. The new private rooms beckoned him to play with the memories of him and Sasuke but instead, Naruto tried to focus on the situation. Whoever was trying to kill Sasuke would definitely try again and it was now Naruto and Gaara's job to safeguard him from any harm.

It wouldn't be easy ignoring his strong attraction to the man, he thought. He knew making sure his emotions were in check would be crucial to keeping not just Sasuke alive, but him and Gaara as well. Explosions were just as effective as bullets and it was only a matter of time before Sasuke was targeted with the same technique used to take out his brother, Itachi.

Naruto stretched his arms behind his head and felt sleep approaching.

Trying to ignore his fear at the idea of placing himself in the middle of such danger, he pushed his mind toward what tomorrow would bring and whether or not he'd get a chance to see Sakura. Despite the guilt that was eating at him, he knew it was better to just face the music and talk to her about that night the first chance he got and also use the opportunity to find out if she knew what happened to Hinata.

Naruto's mind wandered from events to persons to problems. So much was happening that he wasn't really sure he was making all the right choices and even worse, the redhead was being tight-lipped about how he really felt about this whole situation. Naruto understood Gaara's reasoning behind not wanting to force Naruto one way or another but it still irked him that the redhead wouldn't voice an honest opinion. He had always counted on Gaara's insight to whatever situation they faced and now it felt like he was floundering on his own.

Even when Naruto had asked him if Sakura said anything about Hinata while the two of them were cleaning out their old rooftop hideout, again Gaara had been vague.

Pulling the covers up and over him, Naruto let out a long sigh as old memories filled his head. No matter what Gaara had said to him about letting sleeping dogs lie, Naruto knew that talking to Sakura and finding out what she might know about Hinata was something he wouldn't be able to let go of. No matter what, he had to put his old demons to rest once and for all.

* * *

Just after nine in the morning Naruto, Gaara and Juugo arrived at The Tokyo Palace. Juugo parked the Chevrolet double A in front of the main hotel entrance and all three got out and entered the front lobby.

Sasuke had left instructions for them both to be dressed accordingly and had Juugo deliver a pair of tailored suits earlier that morning. Gaara and Naruto were pressed and shined as they stepped out onto the Brooklyn sidewalk and entered the Tokyo Palace.

When they strode through the lobby, no one would have been the wiser that these two sharply dressed men were the former street rats that used to loiter out in front of the club's box office.

Tenten was talking with the desk clerk and looked up as they all came in. With a small smile, she nodded to them and they nodded back as they passed by following Juugo into the club.

Coming down the stairs from the balcony, Naruto looked to the main floor and immediately noticed the new faces around the table where Sasuke was already seated.

It didn't take much for Naruto to already feel the strong urge to glance toward Sasuke. Biting the inside of his lip to try and maintain focus, Naruto kept his eyes glued on the new faces seated around the gangster.

He knew things wouldn't get off to the best start if everyone saw him making cow eyes at their boss. Again, he pushed his mind to remember they were now playing in the big leagues and had a job to do; protecting Sasuke from any future hits and making it to California. What had happened between him and Sasuke before was over. He couldn't afford to forget that.

It hadn't been until this morning when the reality of the past few days began to sink in. No longer basking in the afterglow of sex with the Sasuke he was able to look hard at the choices that were now in front of him. Could he take a life if necessary? Sure, Naruto could be his bodyguard but pull the trigger on another man in his defense? Would it come to that?

Trying to push his mind away from the violence of it all, he steadied his nerves. It wasn't just his life on the line but Gaara's too. It also couldn't be helped that Naruto felt responsible for getting the two of them into all this but no matter what the redhead had told him about being in this with him to the end, Naruto couldn't stop the worry that that ending might come at a precious cost.

Gaara glanced around at the three new men seated at the table. A slightly older man with dark hair and wild, stern eyes was sitting in the seat to Sasuke's right and another redhead was seated next to aged man.

Three seats away from the new redhead was a pale vacant looking man. He looked nearer to Naruto and Gaara's age than the new redhead did but his eyes seemed to defy age. His idle stare and pale skin gave Naruto an edgy feeling that seemed to settle in his gut and not wanting to force having to talk to the blank-faced man this early in the morning, Naruto instead took the seat next to the redhead.

Just as Tenten came down the stairs, Gaara sat next to Naruto other and Juugo went around to where Sasuke was and took the remaining seat next to him. Tenten took the chair between Gaara and the vacant looking pale guy and Naruto leaned back in his chair as he settled in between two redheads.

Once everyone was seated, Sasuke straightened his pinstriped vest and necktie and then looked over his new recruits settling in and felt somewhat satisfied.

Back when Naruto had the front desk ring Sasuke the morning he made him the offer, he had expected the blond to turn him down. Knowing Gaara didn't approve of Sasuke's lifestyle and after getting a better sense of the strong bond between him and Naruto during their lunchtime meeting, Sasuke figured the redhead would have warned his friend against his offer and the two would have then slipped away sometime during the night.

But the blond had stayed and was now sitting across from him waiting for orders. Lounging back into his chair, a sense of smugness came over Sasuke. Maybe the night he spent with Naruto wasn't all for naught.

Sasuke let his gaze lock onto the blue eyes of his former lover. He didn't think he would be able to get enough of the look that was now beginning to rise in those pretty blues staring back at him. Sasuke didn't want to fully explore why Naruto's defiant glare pleased him but God, how he relished it.

Thoroughly enjoying the moment, Sasuke pretended not to hear the faint mumbling of the word, 'bastard.'

Naruto read Sasuke's look for what it was. The damn Uchiha.

Just then, the waiter and kitchen staff came up to the table and set out breakfast. Bacon, eggs, sausage, coffee and orange juice were placed all around.

After a few moments, Sasuke began, "Naruto, Gaara, welcome." One at a time, each of the faces turned to the two best friends.

"Sasori," Sasuke introduced and the redhead to Naruto's left nodded at the new recruits. "Sai," he continued and nodded to the man seated next to Gaara. Sai nodded back to the them; his vacant eyes still without a hint of expression or regard.

"They were both hired a day after you two were." Gaara and Naruto exchanged a look and then looked to Sasuke.

Leaning back into his chair, Sasuke took in the faces of the new four men. "Before we move onto duties, I want to make it clear that you four work for me." Sasuke reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a lighter and tossed it on the table.

"Without a doubt you will all be part of the Uchiha. You will operate under our supervision and bear our mark."

Naruto elbowed Gaara at Sasuke's words. They had both completely forgotten about the tattoos. Every clan had them and some of the lower street gangs had them too, but they had assumed that the temporary nature of the arrangement they'd made with Sasuke would exclude them from getting the permanent markings. Evidently Sasuke had different ideas.

Naruto had seen a few different gang tattoos during his time on the streets. Some were born on shoulders or biceps and some on necks. Orochimaru's brothel in Brooklyn also used tattoos to mark his working girls. Naruto had once come across a woman who had his snake insignia on the inside of her right wrist.

Naruto knew Gaara wouldn't be pleased about the tattoo they would be getting, and he wondered why Sasuke hadn't brought it up during their lunchtime negotiation. Slowly, a small smile formed on his lips. Sasuke was willing to let him and Gaara walk after their five month stint but he wasn't willing to let them leave without forever bearing his mark.

Possessive bastard. But if Sasuke was sending this as a signal that he wasn't planning on letting them leave as agreed, he'd have another thing coming.

Naruto couldn't help flashing his blue eyes at Sasuke for a moment. He needed to see those dark eyes for just a second and confirm his guess that the Uchiha was looking forward to permanently marking Naruto as his property.

One quick glance and the smallest flick of a brow was all it took. ' _Bastard,'_ Naruto thought and turned his eyes away from the black ones now fixed on him. He glanced at Gaara, surprised that he hadn't objected to the marking, but the redhead simply gave him an unreadable look.

Sasuke's eyes lingered on Naruto for a moment, then turned quickly away as he continued, "But you will first and foremost, be answerable to me. The clan is what we all operate under but I am who you obey."

Sasuke took a sip of his coffee. "I don't want their to be any confusion. If you receive an order from Madara or Obito or anyone else in the clan, you clear it with me before you act on it." Casually adjusting his cufflinks, he went on, "And I'm not in the habit of being forgiving when I am disobeyed on this subject. Or on any subject."

Naruto couldn't stop the stirring Sasuke's words gave him. He tried to keep the memory of their night together from flashing through his mind but it was no use. The cold hard man in front of him had been writhing in pleasure while Naruto had sucked him off and the memory of it only made Naruto more turned on than afraid of the mobster who was now issuing threats to all of them. These were exactly the kind of thoughts that Naruto needed to _stop having._

To try and distract himself before the sensation in his pants got worse, Naruto began looking for his cigarettes. Gaara reached into his own pocket and handed a pack to his friend.

Looking at Gaara, Naruto paused at the expression on his best friend's face. ' _Get a hold of yourself,'_ it read and Naruto quickly grabbed the smokes from him and turned away.

"You four will be working with Tenten, Juugo and Yamato." Sasuke's voice brought Naruto back from his thoughts and he looked up to see him motion to the man sitting on his right.

The older looking dark haired man with the grim expression, nodded to the four men. "Yamato runs the house at Pierrepont. He is charge of the security there, running the staff and scheduling daily business. If you get an order from Yamato, consider it a direct order from me."

Yamato looked at everyone and nodded slightly. Gaara was glad to see there was no bravado in his action. From what he could already tell, Sasuke was no slouch at hiring his crew. It didn't take a skilled player in the business to see that all the men around him shared a same relaxed disposition, regardless of their features. Men in the company of a hardened mobster, only looked this at ease if they all knew how to handle themselves in the game. Not a twitchy man among them, Gaara thought. Sasuke was definitely no fool.

Keeping his tone smooth and flat, Sasuke looked to Gaara's left. "Tenten runs the box office, hotel and club security." All the men turned to the petite brunette sitting next to Gaara. "You four will be working with her first. She'll give you a rundown on all the security details you'll need to know as well as overseeing your weapons training." Tenten nodded to the four men and Sasuke continued, "Tenten sets the detail for the club. If anyone has a problem taking orders from a woman, keep it to yourself."

Naruto's blue eyes flicked up at Sasuke. His comments about Tenten surprised him especially after the offhanded way the Uchiha had talked about the two security guards who were stabbed the night of the hit. It was a far cry from affectionate but it still looked to Naruto like maybe the Uchiha wasn't all that cold-hearted with his crew after all.

The gleam Naruto's eyes had him looking away before the stirring in his slacks had time to settle. Sasuke let a smirk tug at the corner of his mouth. The blond approved of his words regarding Tenten. There was still so much more to the man than he had imagined, he thought. Innocent, sinful, lethal, loyal and now chivalrous? Naruto continued to enthrall him to no end.

Holding up his hand to signal to the waiter, Sasuke then pulled out his cigarettes and took one out to light it. He slid the pack to Yamato who promptly passed the cigs to Sasori.

Soon the cigarette pack had gone around the table and the staff was already clearing the empty plates and refreshing the water and juice. Two fresh pots of coffee were added and two more packs of cigarettes were placed on the table.

Sasuke lit his cigarette and leaned back in his chair. "Three of the main organized crime factions in the borough will be your main focus," Sasuke said casually. "You will become familiar with and investigate all members and acquaintances of the Hyuga clan, Orochimaru's clan that operates on the outskirts of Queens and the Brooklyn border and the secretive Akatsuki clan."

Gaara turned to Naruto, "The Akatsuki clan?" Naruto shook his head. He had never heard of them either. The Hyuga's were powerful and well known and Orochimaru was notorious for the cruel way he dispatched his enemies. But he and Gaara had never heard of any Akatsuki clan.

"The Akatsuki have only recently been active," Sasuke continued as he watched the confused looks around him. "I've received a few reports here and there that some unknown players have been hitting various rum-runs in Passaic. The Uchiha and the Hyuga have lost several shipments to them."

"How do you know it's the Akatsuki?" Sasori crushed out his smoke and leaned forward. "From what I've heard, no one's been able to get a good look at any of 'em."

Sasuke nodded slightly, "About a month ago, I got a tip that two men were seen staked out on the Passaic River near Wallington." Sasuke downed his coffee and went on, "I sent Juugo to investigate but they were gone. One week later, the shipment of whiskey I had coming up the river was hijacked."

"Did you get a description?" Gaara asked.

Sasuke crushed out his cigarette. "No, but when we went to investigate the boat that was ferrying the shipment, we found their calling card."

Naruto creased his brows at the Uchiha. "What was it?"

Reaching into his vest pocket, Sasuke pulled out a playing card and tossed it onto the table. Printed on it was a red cloud, outlined in white and surrounded by black. "The Hyuga found a similar card left behind on a railway shipment they lost a few weeks ago."

"You and the Hyuga are on speaking terms?" Gaara found it hard to believe the two adversaries had come together to share information with each other.

The redhead's sharpness never seemed to disappoint, Sasuke thought. "When we have a common threat, we find a way to be civil."

"And Orochimaru?" Naruto wasn't exactly looking forward to tangling with yet another deadly gangster, but it would be foolish to overlook him..

"He's been a harder needle to thread," Sasuke replied, acknowledging Naruto's assessment of likely players. "Until we know for sure, we'll operate under the assumption that he may be connected with the Akatsuki."

Naruto held Sasuke's eyes. This time, the look they shared was all business. It was well known Orochimaru was a cold and heartless as they come. No one ever heard of someone who had crossed the man. And Naruto wasn't stupid enough to believe it was because no one ever tried.

You can't talk if you're hanging from a lamppost in Brooklyn. Naruto only witnessed the gangster's handiwork once and he need never see it again if he had his choice.

Quickly his mind went through the objectives they were faced with. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that keeping an ear to the street would be vital to staying ahead of the game in all this.

Turning to his best friend, he leaned in and whispered, "Shika."

Gaara immediately returned his look and gave slight nods of his head.

Looking back to Sasuke, Naruto spoke up, "Is there a plan for how we'll be able to get close to them?" Breaking his gaze from the Uchiha, Naruto reached for the cigarette pack in front of him and took out a smoke and lit it. "And aside from getting close, do you have a street network setup yet? We'll need one for keeping track of rumors and tips."

Sasuke saw the way Naruto's eyes darkened as he lifted his head and locked his blue eyes on him. He could hear the hardness in the blond's tone and see the way all the humor left his blue eyes. The man was focused completely on him now and Sasuke felt a surge of gratification at having not been wrong about about the blond.

"Hyuga Neji will be visiting the club the day after tomorrow to discuss how best to handle the Akatsuki." Sasuke leaned forward and steeled his eyes around the table. "Two of you will remain by my side during our meeting while the rest of you will be patrolling the club with the men he brings with him. I want _everything_ noted. What they say, how they dress, any piece of information you can rip from them while they're here, I want it."

"If the meeting goes well, we'll be working together to find and eviscerate the Akatsuki once and for all," Sasuke added.

Naruto and Gaara nodded in understanding. Sai, while attentive, kept his face as vacant as ever.

Sasori looked around the table and nodded. "And that'll be our way in."

"As for a street network, we have several connections but nothing reliable as of yet." Sasuke turned and held Naruto's firmly with his own. "Perhaps you, Gaara and I should go over the details of setting up a better network soon. Since both of you seem to know your way around Queens so well, I'd be interested in hearing your ideas."

Naruto nodded at the Uchiha in agreement and then creased his brows immediately as the thought of how to best deal with Orochimaru.

Sasuke paused at the questioning look in Naruto's eyes. "I'll handle Orochimaru myself."

Naruto's eyes narrowed as his earlier curious look was immediately replaced with doubt. Sasuke recognized the look and turned away from it. The blond's concern didn't sit well with him. He had no use for doubt. He was an Uchiha and he pressed on without doubt or fear no matter what the risk.

No one at the table could hope to get anywhere near Orochimaru except Sasuke. He knew the man's proclivities well and though Sasuke detested him, he knew the best way to gain access to him was with a little bait.

Not missing the way Sasuke was now trying to avoid looking at him, an unease began to settle over Naruto.

The risk of having to deal with Orochimaru brought back the warning Kakashi had given to Naruto. He thought over how and when the best time to deliver Kakashi's message. Sasuke hadn't reacted well at Kakashi's mention of his brother and though he and Naruto had briefly shared a few words about Itachi back in his private suite, that morning, the time they had spent together was now long gone.

Naruto knew he'd need something more than Kakashi's word to get Sasuke to take the warning seriously.

* * *

For the next two days, the crew was kept busy. First up was training with Tenten. Her performance at the club the night of the hit had not been fluke. As it turned out, Tenten was not to be doubted in her weapons skill.

Juugo had driven them near the outskirts of Jersey to some empty warehouse for their training. The building and the nearby commercial neighborhood was deserted. The perfect place to train without fear of being heard or interrupted.

Gaara had ditched his sling for the practice and even though he was still pained, he pushed through it. They hadn't been training long when Gaara stepped up to Tenten as she turned and face them on the main floor of the warehouse. When she handed each of the four men a switchblade to keep on them at all times, it was Gaara who approached her for an impromptu knife throwing contest.

Maybe it was Tenten's seemingly quiet nature or how her small stature and soft brown eyes were unassuming. Whatever it was, Gaara, like all men before him, felt compelled to test the woman's skill.

Naruto thought back to the night of the hit as he watched Gaara approach Tenten. He figured it must be a likeness the redhead sees in her. Remembering that night with tommy gun in her hand and when Tenten's face had gone blank with intense focus as she stood on the bar and took out one if the hitmen, a slight shiver coursed through Naruto.

It was unlike the redhead to step up and offer Tenten a best two out of three. If Naruto hadn't been distracted by his own inability to hit the mark on the wall, he would've starred with jaw slaked as Gaara walked up to Tenten and motioned his his knife to the bullseye. The redhead then jerked his head toward the mark and signaled to her that she should try and do better than his shot.

She gave him a grin and then bested him all in all three throws.

A few short hours later, Juugo took them all back to the club and Tenten proceeded to give them the rundown on all the newly installed panic buttons and hideaway stash compartments throughout the hotel and nightclub.

Sasuke had the club renovated after the hit on his life at Tenten's request. She gave him a play by play of what he could expect should whomever wanted him dead, try their hands at another attack on the club.

"They now know three men are not enough, Sasuke. And their inside men are gone," she had told him the next day in the box office. "If they come again, they'll hit us hard and we're not ready."

Sasuke agreed and had her oversee all the changes.

During her instruction, Tenten went over all the procedures and how to coordinated coverage by securing each of their stations and never leaving their section unless absolutely necessary.

The detail was set up for maximum coverage but one fuck up could mean the difference between getting the backup you needed or finding yourself alone and outnumbered.

As they walked through the hotel, Naruto was still getting used to the new revolver he was now shoulder holstering.

They had all been instructed by Tenten back at the warehouse on how to wear it, keep it, clean it and use it. He had proven capable enough during firing practice but it was his constant unease about wearing it for the inevitable moment he would have to use it that bothered him.

Gaara noticed his hesitance and told him to look at it as protection for himself. The guys they were up against would have no such qualms about using a gun on Naruto if given the chance.

" _Use it as a last resort,"_ Gaara had said to him.

Naruto had always viewed guns as cheating. If you weren't man enough to trade blows with someone until you both were hamburger and only one of you was left standing, then dammit you just weren't man enough.

He tried to get accustomed to let the feel of it as he and the rest followed Tenten around the hotel and nightclub listening to her instructions and trying to stay attentive throughout.

It was close to midnight when all they arrived back at three Pierrepont Place.

Sasuke had provided them all dinner at the club so by the time they reached the manor, all four of the exhausted men went straight to their bottom level apartments without saying a word.

Pierremont Place was two large brownstones that had been renovated into a four-storied duplex that was converted into one large mansion. Sasuke had turned each of the separate basements into small lower level apartments. Sasori and Sai had one and Naruto and Gaara had the other.

Nodding to each other goodnight each man turned and headed downstairs to their apartment to sleep.

The next morning they were all to meet Yamato in the main entranceway of the house. The older man then began his turn at giving them instructions on the dos and don'ts in the opulent manor. The fourth floor was where Sasuke's private rooms were and the area was off limits unless expressly invited.

Breakfast was promptly at nine and if you missed it, you had to prepare it for yourself. The only other meal scheduled at the house was Sunday dinner and everyone was required to attend.

Yamato showed them several hidden passageways and different stashes of weapons around the property as well as panic buttons and lockdown procedures. Every possible circumstance and scenario was gone over and then gone over again. After the house instruction was done, Yamato took the four men to the garage and showed them the cars they would be driving when asked.

It would be their job to maintain the upkeep on the cars, and keep all four of them clean and ready for whenever they were asked to drive them. Naruto and Gaara already had sufficient training in driving and made easy work of Yamato's questions and instruction. The two best friend were immediately excused while Sai and Sasori remained after.

Sasori had stayed to help teach Sai how to work a gear shift and when to use it. It wasn't just that Sai seemed to have a hard time learning the gears and all the working parts of the car, but that that the man didn't know his way around an automobile at all. With both Yamato and Sasori having to explain all the basics and then deal with his uninterested responses to his help, left Sasori irritated and losing his patience. It took another three hours after they had finished with Yamato, before Sasori would say another word to the pale skinned man.

Gaara and Naruto came across the pair in the kitchen shortly after the two left the garage.

As the Sai and Sasori entered the kitchen, Naruto immediately felt a quiet awkwardness begin to fog the kitchen as all four men eyed each other, only to then start wandering around looking for something that might direct them to a meal. Not knowing quite how to begin a conversation, Naruto reached into the icebox and pulled out some cold chicken and a few vegetables.

"Oiy," he called and Sai looked up just in time to see Naruto toss him a tomato. Sai caught it and looked at it for a moment as if trying to figure out what it was only to look back up at Naruto right as he tossed him an onion as well.

Sai deftly caught it with one hand and Naruto nodded at him and smiled. "Nice catch. There's a cutting board over there and some knives." He jerked his head toward the cupboard to his right. "If you slice those up, I'll get started on the chicken and find some bread."

"I can get the bread," Sasori answered and began opening different pantry doors until he found what he was looking for.

Gaara went to work on finding the mayonnaise and setting the table. Once all the places were set, he went back to the icebox to see what there was to drink.

Gaara placed four coke bottles on the table as Naruto set the sliced chicken down, while Sai and Sasori added the bread and vegetables.

"Shit, the lettuce," Naruto mumbled and went back to grab it.

Once all four were seated and serving themselves, chicken sandwiches had managed to appear on their plates and all four men looked around at each other with satisfied looks.

"Well done," Sasori commented before he took a bite and Naruto let out a small chuckle. "Hey," Sasori said around a mouthful of food. "Ain't you and red the ones who lifted that appliance truck a couple weeks back?"

Naruto and Gaara exchanged a look. They had set up their hock through a man named Gato and no one but him had known about their heist. It looked like they finally knew how those four Chinese goons had found out it was them who jacked their goods right from under them.

"Is that what people are sayin'?" Naruto wasn't sure what to make of Sasori. Was he being inquisitive or trying to bait him into admitting they were the ones who boosted the truck?

"Guess there's a lot of rumours floating around on the streets these days." Naruto decided to play it vague and wait until he got a better read on the redhead. "What about you? I don't think I've seen you around Queens. Do you run only in Brooklyn?"

Sasori caught the dodge but went along for the moment. "I only been workin' Brooklyn. Used to work for Orochimaru until Sasuke made me a better offer."

Gaara's face remained impassive but Naruto's eyes widened.

"He let you leave his crew?"

Sasori took another bite of his sandwich and carefully regarded the blond in front of him. He had picked up a few interesting looks Sasuke had traded with the blond during their morning meeting. He may be new to this gang but he wasn't stupid. Paying attention to the little things was his specialty.

Always one to make sure he held the most cards, Sasori decided to play his hunch and let this Naruto kid know where he'd come from and just how he winded up here.

"Well, I had the skills to be part of his crew but I weren't." Taking a swig of coke he continued, "I was working at his brothel when Sasuke offered Orochimaru the cash to get me out."

Naruto didn't bat an eye. He wasn't ignorant of what life is like on the streets and knew better than to pass any judgment on those who had to do whatever they could to survive. Given the things that he, himself, had done, who was he to judge anyone else?

"So now you're loyal to Sasuke?" Naruto's mind quickly went back to their breakfast meeting when Sasuke had introduced them all to each other and had mentioned he hired both Sai and Sasori the day after he hired Naruto and Gaara.

Seeing the curious look in the blond's blue eyes Sasori pushed ahead. "Yeah, Sasuke knew I were lookin' to get out and showed up the other day to see if he and Oroch' could cut a deal."

Naruto nodded and quickly let it sink in that Sasuke had known Sasori prior to hiring him and had then gone back to the brothel the day after Naruto had spent the night with him.

Feeling satisfied with the blond's reaction, Sasori took another bite and waited to see where the conversation would go next.

Deciding it would be better to chew on this new information later, Naruto forced his attention elsewhere. "And you, Sai? Where did Sasuke find you?"

Looking blankly at Naruto he finally spoke, "He didn't." Sai then looked back at his sandwich and continued to eat.

Shaking his head as if used to the pale-skinned man's lack of conversation skills, Sasori shot Naruto and Gaara unamused look and rolled his eyes.

"He didn't, what?" Naruto figured he try and draw Sai out a bit and see if the man would open up.

Sai looked up again. "Find me." He looked around the table and could tell the three men were waiting on him to say more but he wasn't sure what else to say.

Naruto let out a soft laugh and shook his head, "Not very talkative, huh? Well, I'm just wondering how you came to hook up with the Uchiha clan."

Looking blankly at Naruto, Sai took a deep breath. "When I arrived in the the U.S. I started asking around trying to find out who the top Japanese players were in New York. I went to see Orochimaru but his security sent me away. I then came to Tokyo Palace and Sasuke took the meeting with me. I told him I only had some skills but was a blank slate that he could paint any color he wanted and in turn, I'd be loyal to him and no other."

Both Sasori and Naruto held their drinks in midair, while Gaara kept eating but still eyeing the dark-haired man with interest.

Naruto raised his eyebrows at Sai. "So you just got off a boat and walked straight up to Uchiha Sasuke for a job?"

"Yes."

"I thought they weren't letting any more passenger boats in from Japan?" Naruto said, curiously.

"It wasn't a passenger boat," Sai answered and went back to his sandwich.

* * *

Later that week, Gaara and Naruto found themselves dressed, out the door and on their way to Tokyo Palace by nine am sharp.

Sasuke wanted to go over all the details with everyone before Hyuga Neji would be arriving at eleven. He had them all line up on the nightclub floor and directed each of them to stay tight-lipped with eyes and ears open.

"No fucking around today." Sasuke looked the men over. With stoic mask firmly in place and eyes cold, he stepped back from them and lit a cigarette. "You will take this meeting seriously."

Sasuke looked back up and scanned his new crew. He wouldn't go so far as to say he was proud of his choices, but he did feel a sense of satisfaction. He was positive some of their abilities would rise to the surface as time went on but at the least he was sure of their loyalty.

One by one they had all come to him, even Naruto. Sasuke was still unsure of the real reason Naruto decided to stay until September but Sasuke had his suspicions.

Curiouser was his reason for why he offered to let the blond and the redhead walk in five months time. He remembered his talk with Naruto that morning he had taken him for a lover and they had bathed together after. He knew the man wanted out of the game and the blond had even questioned Sasuke about his reasons for staying in the criminal underworld.

"Dobe, you sound like my brother," Sasuke had told him that morning and immediately felt a twinge of regret for letting the words slip from his mouth.

"I was sorry to hear about your brother." Naruto had expressed his condolences to Sasuke and in return, Sasuke and crushed his mouth to Naruto's in effort to silence any further talk about Itachi's death.

Now here they both were, waiting for the Hyuga's arrival and Naruto bearing the Uchiha mark as an official clan member.

All four men received their clan marking that morning and Naruto hadn't been too happy about it. To be honest, Sasuke had expect much more of a resistance from Gaara than from Naruto but it was the blond who shot Sasuke a challenging glare when he had sat down for his turn.

Sasuke had stood in front of Naruto as the Uchiha fan was etched on the back of his top right shoulder. Throughout his turn Sasuke clearly marked displeasure in the blond's fiery blue eyes but yet again, Sasuke was sure that he had seen a glimmer of that heady stare from the day they first met on the street corner in front of the club as well. Letting a small tug play at the corner of his mouth, Sasuke couldn't help showing his enjoyment.

He had resisted the urge to see his mark on Naruto's skin once it was finished. He wasn't entirely sure why he'd felt the need to insist on the tattoo. He knew that Naruto's stay was temporary but he supposed that in the end, he had marked Naruto simply because he _could._ His small smile had pulled more at the thought.

Now all marked and standing before him, Sasuke gave Juugo a nod and turned from the group, "Follow Tenten's detail. The Hyuga will be here soon." Juugo said and nodded to the men.

Naruto exchanged a look with Gaara. It all started now.

One by one they settled around the nightclub floor. They would wait here to meet the other clan as they walked in and then one by one take each one with them to patrol the perimeter of the club.

Naruto stood under the entrance balcony and faced Sasuke's table.

He watched the Uchiha sit down and lean back in his chair and couldn't help but let his eyes wander over the gangster's lean relaxed frame. The man looked positively regal.

Without thinking, Naruto licked his lips. That damn Uchiha stoicism.

As he watched Sasuke, he thought about Kakashi's message. Naruto hadn't had a chance to speak to Sasuke privately since their initial lunch together and he knew he had to figure out a way to get the man alone for a discreet talk. But other than a few words at their introductory meeting, Sasuke had keep his distance from the blond.

Several times Naruto had caught Sasuke looking sideways at him or stealing a glance but whenever Naruto had tried to catch his eyes, the Uchiha would immediately look away.

He supposed it was for best. Naruto wanted to keep things professional between them as well and definitely didn't want the crew or even Gaara put into a position of calling him out on his distraction.

Feeling eyes on him, Sasuke looked up and locked onto Naruto's stare.

The blond looked ready so why did Sasuke feel a twinge of doubt in his mind?

Again, Sasuke found himself thinking back to the talk they shared during that early morning bath over a week ago and Naruto's plan to leave with Gaara for California. It was his idea of a fresh start. Somewhere away from the violence of the big city streets.

Now in the club, Sasuke held Naruto's eyes to his own. The blond nodded to him and he nodded back. He could see the determination in his blue eyes and knew Naruto wouldn't hesitate if called to action.

So why did it bother Sasuke if the man's heart wasn't in it? Why did this nagging feeling linger? Without warning the memory of his brother, Itachi, flooded Sasuke's mind.

" _Drug running will bring disgrace to the Uchiha name, little brother. I'm done living like criminals. Come with me, Sasuke. There's something better for us than this."_

Even now, Itachi's words still stung.

Sasuke turned away from Naruto. There it was. The memory of his brother was too much for Sasuke. He didn't care for the similarity between his brother and Naruto; both wanting for something other than this criminal life could offer. Sasuke was already set in what he wanted and had no desire to revisit his choices.

Itachi was gone. The clan was all that mattered now.

Naruto easily read the displeased look that had washed over Sasuke's face right before he turned away and felt his gut pull at the sight.

Was he thinking about their night together? Was he upset that Gaara and him wouldn't be staying for good or was he re-thinking the offer he made to them, that perhaps they weren't clan material?

Before the concern had time to settle over Naruto, the sound of the nightclub doors being opened shot through the quiet and all the men looked up.

Facing Sasuke from underneath the balcony, Naruto had a perfect view of the stairs on his right.

Noticing the way Sasuke avoided looking his way, Naruto pushed away his worry about what the gangster could possibly be thinking, and looked to his right.

A slight gasp escaped his mouth at what he saw.

Clan boss Neji Hyuga was coming down the stairs. Behind him were several men trailing after and looking around, taking in the layout of the club and the Uchiha clan men within it.

But it wasn't the men that had Naruto's heart in his throat or his mouth suddenly dry. On the arm of the dapper dressed Hyuga was a beautiful woman with silver eyes. Eyes that were now wide and locked on Naruto.

"Hinata," Naruto breathed as he watch her and Neji descend the stairs.

Dressed in a purple sequined flapper dress that went no lower than her thighs, the silver-eyed woman, covered in long string pearls around her neck, held Naruto's eyes with her own.

Neither of them missing the blond's reaction, both Sasuke and Gaara were now attentively watching Naruto. Gaara was hoping Naruto would be able to hold himself together and Sasuke was wondering who this woman was that was affecting Naruto in such a way.

As the Hyuga and Hinata reached the bottom step, the crime boss held up his other hand to her, offering to help her down the last step. Without taking her eyes of Naruto, she waved her hand the Hyuga, dismissing his assistance.

It was just a flash, a split second but Naruto hadn't missed it. On the inside of Hinata's right wrist was a dark colored snake tattoo.

Hinata caught the trail of Naruto's widened eyes and immediately dropped her hand but it was too late.

A dark storm settled in the blond's blue eyes. As his heart raced and his breath felt stolen from him, he frantically tried to remember where he was and just what he was supposed to be doing but all he could do was focus on the painful lump in his throat. _Breathe,_ he told himself. But here she was, in front of him and bearing a mark he would have given his life to spare her from.

Hinata took a step toward him. "Hello, Naruto." She tried to offer a smile but couldn't keep a fleck of sadness from showing in her eyes.

"Who is this, Hinata?" The clan boss stepped forward and Hinata gently placed her hand on his chest to stop him.

Naruto took note of the firm yet caressing touch of her gesture and again tried to swallow down the lump in his throat.

"He's an old friend from the orphanage I grew up in," Hinata said with a smile. She turned to face the Hyuga. "It's been over five years since I've seen him. We were just children back then."

Her tone and implication that there was nothing other than a shared childhood between them seemed to calm the man.

Sasuke who had been standing at the arrival of his guests, walked towards them.

"Perhaps we could get more acquainted with each other over lunch." Sasuke faced the Hyuga and offered his hand. "Neji, thank you for coming. Welcome."

Pulling his attention away from Naruto, Neji noted the American greeting and grasped the Uchiha's hand. "Yes, I think that would be best."

Leading a hand out in front of him, Sasuke directed them to the table. He quickly looked back at Naruto and saw the blond's attention was still fixed on the woman.

It wasn't hard for Sasuke to mark the pain in the man's blue eyes. The sight of it set a weighted feeling in his stomach and he had no idea why. Maybe it was because the look was so opposite from what he knew of Naruto and that the constant humor that was always present in the blond's blue eyes was now gone.

Turning his attention back to the Hyuga, Sasuke offered him and Hinata their seats and then signaled for Tenten. She leaned in as Sasuke quietly whispered in her ear. She then nodded and went to where Naruto was.

In a lowered voice, Tenten stood next to Naruto and spoke, "You'll take Juugo's spot."

Naruto looked at the small brunette and understood. Sasuke was changing the detail so Naruto could stay at the table. He nodded to Tenten and looked over at Juugo. The large redhead nodded back, left Sasuke's side and followed the other Hyuga men up the staircase and out into the hotel lobby.

One by one, Sasori, Sai and Gaara followed Juugo. As Gaara passed his best friend the two looked at each other.

Gaara could see the redness already forming in Naruto's eyes. Ever so slightly the redhead shook his head at the blond.

Naruto took in a deep breath and straightened himself up.

Climbing the stairs, Gaara watched as Naruto walked over and stood beside Sasuke. He tried not to look concerned by Naruto's stiff walk and dark eyes but knew the blond was struggling to keep it together. Given the situation, it was a wonder the man hadn't already shot off his mouth.

 _Good luck,_ Gaara thought as he turned from the sight of his best friend and exited the club.

Immediately, Sasuke looked up to the waiter that was stationed at the kitchen door and the man bowed slightly in return. Soon after the food was arriving. Several staff members filled their glasses with champagne and set down beautiful trays of colorful, finely crafted sushi all around the table.

Neji shot an impressed look over at Sasuke.

"A little taste of home," Sasuke said and held out a dish to the Hyuga, offering him the first taste.

"Thank you, Sasuke." Neji used his chopsticks and took a piece from the dish, placing it on his plate.

Naruto tried not to stare are Hinata as the two crime bosses got through their small talk and introductions. He tried to force himself to not continuously glance at her wrist and get a closer look at the tattoo.

He could tell that as they all ate, she was doing her best to keep her eyes settled on Neji or Sasuke but every so often her eyes would flick up only to quickly dart them away before Naruto had a chance to read them.

"So you two know each other from the orphanage?" Neji turned to face Hinata.

Smiling back at the Hyuga, Hinata softened her eyes at the man. "We were only children back then. What, ten? Eleven?" Hinata turned to glance at Naruto for confirmation.

Still not finding his voice, Naruto nodded at her and the clan boss in agreement.

"If you would like, I could have Naruto show you around the club," Sasuke offered. "Give you an opportunity to catch up."

Sasuke looked from Hinata back to Neji. "And give us a chance to discuss business."

Neji nodded at the Uchiha and Hinata leaned in to her companion and softly kissed his cheek.

"Thank you. I'll return shortly." She smiled and rose from the table.

Naruto's heart was still and there was a brief moment when he actually thought he was fading from the room. He could hear voices and knew what Sasuke was asking of him but his body simply would not move.

"Thank you, Naruto," Sasuke said as he looked up at him and snapped the blond out of his haze.

Naruto looked back at Sasuke and saw the questions in his eyes. But "Yes, Sasuke," was all he could choke out. He knew the Uchiha would make time for all those questions later but now was not the time or place to start in on them.

Here they were, the two childhood sweethearts, walking toward each other and neither knowing what to say as Naruto held out his arm to her. His eyes searched her silver grays and reading the touch of sadness in them, he quickly cast his eyes downward as guilt and shame wracked through him.

Hinata gently took his arm with her hand and Naruto made sure to be mindful about keeping a respectful distance from her. Standing too close could set off the Hyuga and in turn cause problems for Sasuke. Guiding Hinata, he walked her toward the stage door and away from the two clan bosses view.

Sasuke didn't turn around to watch them leave. The look in Naruto's eyes was sufficient.

This Hinata woman had clearly been more to the blond than just a childhood friend and the knowledge of it touched a nerve in Sasuke that he was unfamiliar with.

He had offered up Naruto as an escort because he sensed their closeness and figured it would be a perfect opportunity for Naruto to use his connection as a way to gather any pertinent information from her about the Hyuga clan. Once Sasuke caught the sight of Orochimaru's mark on her he knew whatever her and Naruto's relationship had been in the past, Sasuke had to encourage them to spend time together for his own advantage.

But when he had looked at Naruto right before the blond left with the woman, the man's blue eyes had held entirely different emotions.

The pain he had read in Naruto's face as soon as the woman had entered the club was undeniable. Then he watched as a sea of guilt flooded the blond's eyes as he had walked to take his place at Sasuke's side. Still, Sasuke could write those off. It wasn't like he didn't understand that Naruto was saddened by the fact that his childhood friend spent her early life working at Orochimaru's brothel. It was what Sasuke saw behind both of those initial emotions that had his gut twisting. In the depths of the blond's eyes, Sasuke clearly saw the unmistakable look of heartbreak in Naruto's face. The devastation in those once defiant blue orbs gave Sasuke a moment's pause as the pair had walked away from the table.

Hoping Naruto would remember who he was working for and not hold back at trying to pry her for information, Sasuke pushed his uneasiness about exactly what Naruto's feelings were for that woman and instead settled his mind on the matter at hand. Making note to remember to speak with Naruto about all this later, Sasuke turned his attention back to Neji and gave the man his best Uchiha smile.

 _To be continued…._

* * *

A/N: I do hope you enjoyed this chapter and I am already working on chapter 8. I think the conversation between Hinata and Naruto is going to be a good one and I can't wait to get it out to you all! Also, for those of you who are probably going to message be about Hinata and Neji's relationship, let me save you the trouble, the answer is, yes. Like I said in this chapter's author's notes, this story is going to get a bit darker from here on out. The crime world is not all sunshine and roses so if you don't think you wanna continue on with me, I'll understand. I can't make any promises about when chapter 8 will be done but I will definitely try for a sooner time frame than chapter 7. Thanks hanging around this far, Dear Reader! I wish you all the best and will post again as soon as I can!


	8. Chapter 8: Truth and consequences

**Warning:** Light BoyxBoy yaoi, sexual situations, adult themes. 18+ only please.

 **Author's Note:** Okay so this took forever! At only 8k, I know it's pretty short but I didn't want to overthink this chapter too much so I could get it out to you asap. Not being able to write for awhile really threw me off. I felt like I lost the voice and the flow of the story and so this chapter, albeit short, was painful to write. But here it is! I do hope you like it and I'm heading home tonight to get started on chapter 9 immediately. Thanks for your patience, Dear Readers and my sincerest apologies for the long wait.

 **As always, a very special THANK YOU! goes out to my bae, the one and only, Kizu! Thanks for proofreading and encouraging me every step of the way! Your input and friendship remains invaluable. Luv you, woman!**

* * *

 _Hoping Naruto would remember who he was working for and not hold back at trying to pry her for information, Sasuke pushed his uneasiness about exactly what Naruto's feelings were for that woman and instead settled his mind on the matter at hand. Making note to remember to speak with Naruto about all this later, Sasuke turned his attention back to Neji and gave the man his best Uchiha smile._

Chapter 8: Truth and consequences

Naruto opened the stage door and led Hinata through it.

He knew this really wasn't the place to have a heart to heart with his old childhood sweetheart. Eyes were everywhere and no matter what turmoil he was currently feeling, Naruto didn't want to be the cause for upending all of Sasuke's plans with the Hyuga.

The door closed behind them and Naruto's heart stilled.

"Naruto." The soft sound of Hinata's voice sent Naruto's emotions into a tailspin.

Naruto clenched his eyes shut and his heart began to pound. He didn't want to say anything. He _couldn't_ say anything. His throat was closing and the burning in his eyes was spreading fast, seemingly trying to compete with the growing pain in his chest.

Naruto held his position for a moment. He didn't want to talk or move and he definitely didn't want to listen to the sound of Hinata's voice. _Goddammit_ , he thought. He knew this day would come but why now?

Naruto opened his eyes and stared down the hallway.

"Naruto," Hinata said again as she placed her other hand over his arm. "Please try to understand."

Hinata looked up and scanned Naruto's face.

He knew she was waiting for him to say something. Over the years he had gone over all the things he would say to her when this moment came. But not like this. Not with him bearing the Uchiha mark and her bearing Orochimaru's. The lump in his throat was just another painful reminder that he was not ready for this conversation.

Naruto swallowed and searched his mind for any word that would save him from the emotional storm that was brewing around him.

The pain from those first nights on the streets of New York sucker-punched him. He had always known back when he had cried himself to sleep in those cold alleyways, that he'd have to face Hinata one day; face her and beg forgiveness for leaving her behind. Now with the result of the choices he made that violent night, pulling gently on his arm, Naruto found himself face to face with his old demons.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto slowly began to walk her through the hallway and around to the dressing rooms, still not able to turn his head and look into her eyes.

"Naruto, I know you feel guilty but it wasn't your fault," Hinata said gently.

"You don't know that." Naruto bit back as he finally stopped to turn and face her. He knew as long as he kept breathing he wouldn't cry. God, how he hoped he wouldn't cry.

"H-How can you say that? What if I told you I lost my temper? What if I told you that it was my fault and not Gaara's that we got taken to the basement?" Naruto's voice got low and hard. "What if I told you I made Gaara run for it. Then would you blame me? Don't you think I wish every day that I could go back and-."

Naruto's breath hitched and he swallowed hard after it. The storms in his blue eyes pierced into Hinata's now deep grays. Concern had darkened her face and she took a small step toward her old childhood sweetheart.

"Because I know _you_ , Naruto," Hinata softly said. "I used to live there, too. You can't expect me to believe you weren't provoked or that you weren't running from anything other than fear for your life." She paused and softened her eyes at the boy she once knew. "You were only a child, Naruto. How could you ever think you had to carry such a weight on your twelve-year-old shoulders?"

Hinata took another step toward Naruto but he turned away from the sympathy in her eyes. Being forgiven was too much to ask for. After all she had suffered since, how could he accept any kindness now? Forced to work for Orochimaru and now with the Hyuga. _No_ , Naruto thought, _forgiveness was too easy_.

Naruto began walking, leading her further into and through the club, past the hall that led to Sasuke's suite. "We should keep moving. If anyone sees us, it won't look good for us to be lingering in one place too long."

Naruto tried to steady his breathing as he turned to lead her back through the kitchen and into cool air of the hotel lobby. He could feel Hinata's eyes still on him but he didn't trust himself to meet her gaze.

In front of them, the main hotel glass doors shone with the afternoon sun and Naruto could make out the people outside passing by on the sidewalk just beyond them. A sense of surrealness washed over him. Beyond the Tokyo Palace was the real world where people were buying their groceries and playing stickball or debating the Yankee's season. But inside, where he now felt trapped like a fly in a web, the woman on his arm had been forced to survive through prostitution and he was just some hired thug who had let her down. How more cliche could it all get?

Following Naruto's gaze, Hinata slowed them to a stop and watched with him as the people on the sidewalk passed by the front lobby doors.

The sound of a man coughing echoed through the lobby and Naruto turned his head towards the front desk. Gaara was standing behind the counter holding to an expressionless face. Quickly darting his eyes away, Naruto got the message loud and clear. They couldn't linger too long.

Without pulling her eyes from the sight of the sunlit glass doors, Hinata began to speak in a quiet voice. "Not long after you and Gaara escaped, I was sent to Orochimaru by Gaara's father."

Naruto's heart began to pound again but he kept his eyes glued on the glass doors. He felt Hinata's hand increase the pressure on his arm ever so slightly and he swallowed around the hard pain in his throat.

"A year later," Hinata continued, "Neji found me and offered that, in exchange for my loyalty and companionship, he would pay to have Orochimaru release me and give me place within the Hyuga clan. I run the brothel he set up on the far end of Brooklyn, way beyond Orochimaru's territory. I have complete autonomy within the Hyuga clan."

Naruto felt his stomach twist at her words as he turned to look at her. He couldn't resist raising an eyebrow at her, his look questioning just how much freedom she had.

"I do what I want, Naruto." Hinata's eyes darkened for a moment and Naruto thought he caught a flash of something… unfamiliar.

He blinked his eyes clear and lowered his brow. He knew it wasn't his place to judge her for doing what she had to do to survive, but how his heart ached knowing she was worth more than being a madam for some abject crime boss.

"He's good to me, Naruto." The slight edge in her voice wasn't missed by him. "I have freedom and authority within the clan." A small smile played on Hinata's lips as a soft levity settled into her tone.

"Of course, it can't be known that a woman has influence over one of the most powerful clan heads in New York City…, " Hinata squeezed her hand playfully on Naruto's arm. "It may not be a conventional life but I'm happy, Naruto."

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he looked into her bright silver eyes. "Are you, Hinata?" He searched her face for doubt or any trace of sadness but saw none. As Naruto looked back at her, he could see she had no doubts regarding the choices she had made for herself. An uneasy pang sounded in his chest. He should have been relieved at her words but instead it just made him feel more culpable.

These were the choices she had made because he had left her behind.

Another cough from behind them caught Naruto's attention. With a quick glance, he caught his best friend's hard look and pulled his arm tugging against Hinata's grip. He pulled her back toward the nightclub entrance and straightened up.

"We should head back," Naruto said in a low voice. "We've been gone for too long."

As Naruto led Hinata passed Gaara, one of the Hyuga men came around the corner to the left of the front desk and stood next to Gaara.

Letting his gaze fall away from Naruto, Gaara turned to the man. "Did you find the head alright?"

"Yeah, thanks," the man answered as he eyed the blond who was walking past with his boss's woman through the hotel lobby.

Naruto held the club door open for Hinata and the two walked in without looking back, missing the inquisitive look from the Hyuga crew member.

As the two old sweethearts headed toward the stairs, Hinata paused. "I'd still like us to be friends, Naruto."

"I'm not sure Hyuga Neji would approve," Naruto replied and tugged her again, urging her to keep walking. He kept his eyes ahead, not wanting to look in her eyes anymore. He had already seen an uneasy truth in her face that he wasn't ready to deal with just yet.

Hinata smiled and let Naruto lead her. "As I said before, Naruto. I'm free to do what I want."

Naruto nodded at her words as they came down the stairs to the nightclub floor but still would not look at her. "I'd like that, Hinata," was all he could reply.

The pair walked up to the table where Sasuke and Neji were seated and Hinata turned to face Naruto. Taking one of his hands into both of hers she smiled at him. "Thank you, Naruto. It was lovely catching up." She then promptly turned from him and took her place next to the Hyuga.

"You have a wonderful establishment, Sasuke-san," Hinata said as she looked at Neji and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "The hotel is lovely, Neji."

"Did you enjoy your tour?" Neji couldn't keep the jealous tone out of his voice despite sitting only a few feet from one of his most powerful clan rivals.

Hinata laughed and, underneath the table, let her hand settle on Neji's thigh. "I did," Hinata said as she smiled and turned to face Sasuke. She slightly bowed her head in his direction while at the same time, caressing Neji's thigh. "Thank you Sasuke-san."

Sasuke nodded back to her and then to Neji. Reaching into his vest pocket, Sasuke took out his cigarettes and began searching for a lighter.

Pulling out matches from his jacket pocket, Naruto struck one and leaned down to light Sasuke's cigarette. One split second was all it took.

Sasuke caught the blue eyes with his own and read all the answers he needed. The woman had pained the blond deeply and the blond was now wearing it on his face.

Naruto felt as though Sasuke's black eyes had slapped him out of his haze. Far from Gaara's _pull yourself together_ look was Sasuke's stare of complete focus and warning. The sharp edge in his eyes was undeniable. Naruto was fucking up. He blinked himself clear, lit Sasuke's cig and stood back up trying to clear his mind.

It was only a few seconds, if that, but Hinata had caught it. While she was distracting Neji with her hand underneath the table, the Hyuga had reached for his cigarettes in front of him just as Hinata turned her head to Naruto, catching the look that passed between him and Sasuke.

The look Hinata caught was one of familiarity. She didn't pay mind to Sasuke's stern look or Naruto's reaction to it, but rather the _knowing_ that had been hidden in the exchange. Though a slight shock shot through her, she masked her understanding and turned to a soft smile playing on her lips she spoke to him. "I hope I didn't interrupt your business meeting."

Neji turned to look at her as he found his matches and lit his cigarette. "Not at all." Neji said, and then looked to Sasuke and nodded for him to continue.

* * *

Their meeting had lasted another two hours and by the time it was over, Naruto not only had a clearer view of the intricate workings of the two clans but also stiff and sore back from standing on alert next to Sasuke the entire time.

He watched Sasuke bow to Neji and the Hyuga return the respectful gesture as they both said their goodbye's.

"Naruto," Sasuke called to him. The blond stepped up to the group and watched as Neji's personal security closed around the Hyuga and Hinata. "Could you please escort Hyuga Neji for me?" Sasuke turned back to Neji. "It was a pleasure, Neji. I'm happy we were able to find some common ground. Please know you are always welcome here at the Tokyo Palace."

" _Arigato, Sasuke."_ Neji nodded to Sasuke and motioned for Naruto to take the lead up the stairs.

Naruto led the way and the Hyuga clan followed behind him. As they all reached the hotel lobby, Neji paused, reached out to Naruto's arm and pulled him to a stop. Motioning for the rest of his security to take Hinata and leave him for a moment, Neji turned to face the young blond man.

Hinata curiously eyed the two men then gave them both a small smile and bowed goodbye to Naruto. He nodded slightly in return before she turned and left them both in the lobby.

Once alone, Neji spoke. "I don't miss much, Naruto," Neji said to him flatly. "In fact, I was already informed of you and the Uchiha's relationship prior to my arrival here today but I must say, I was surprised that you and my Hinata had a connection."

Holding the Hyuga's black eyes with his own, Naruto steeled himself. If word had already gotten out about Sasuke and his affair then he needed to let Sasuke know immediately while at the same time try to not give too much away to the man now standing in front of him. Treading carefully, Naruto made a note of the way Neji has used the words, _my Hinata_ and worked to keep to his calm.

"The orphanage was a long time ago," Naruto said. Offering up his and Hinata's past for the Hyuga seemed safer than commenting on Neji's remark about Naruto's affair with Sasuke. "As Hinata said, we were only children back then."

"Yes," Neji nodded slightly at Naruto's words. Neji then broke his gaze from Naruto and let his eyes wander over and down the blond's frame. He then raised his eyes up to Naruto's strong, tan neck and let his eyes linger over the smooth flesh for a moment.

Naruto couldn't stop the the pulse spike that shot through him as he watched Neji hungrily take him in. Even as the shock of what he was actually witnessing from the Hyuga set in, the idea completely repulsed him. This man who basically had Hinata on a leash was now trying to openly flirt with him and, while knowing that he was having or at one time had an affair with Sasuke. It was obvious to Naruto that like Sasuke, the Hyuga too was used to getting what he wanted and was not familiar with impulse control.

Holding his anger in check, Naruto kept to his wits. Barely holding to his patience, Naruto gave the mob boss a low, deep bow. "Enjoy your afternoon, Hyuga Neji."

A small smile formed on the Hyuga's lips as he watched the blond submit. "If you wish to visit with Hinata, please consider yourself welcome, Naruto. I would enjoy the visit immensely." The Hyuga walked past Naruto and didn't look back as he exited the lobby doors.

Between Neji's subtle insinuation and finding out Hinata was a paid… he couldn't even bring himself to think the words, Naruto was slowly losing his grip.

"Naruto." Gaara suddenly appeared at Naruto's side and was pulling at his elbow trying to get his full attention. "Naruto, are you alright?"

The concern in Gaara's voice wasn't missed but as Naruto stood there staring at his best friend, for the first time in possibly his life, he couldn't think of a single thing to say. He opened his mouth and took a breath but then shook his head at Gaara not really sure of what should come next. Were words adequate here? Just where the fuck was he supposed to begin?

Gaara read the questioning shock in Naruto's eyes and immediately felt panic for his friend. He had guessed that the news about Hinata would be tough to take. He recalled how Sakura had avoided his eyes when they had spoken in the hotel room but he had no idea things could have turned out this way.

"Naru-"

"Naruto!" Both Gaara's and Naruto's attention turned to the nightclub doors and saw Tenten standing at the door motioning to Naruto. "Sasuke needs to see you."

Without turning back to face Gaara, Naruto walked toward Tenten and entered the club doors. He knew Sasuke would want answers but did he have any for him? He hadn't exactly prodded Hinata to divulge clan information as was Sasuke's order. His world had spun once he spotted Hinata with the Hyuga and losing himself in the moment he had let his focus slip.

Naruto descended the stairs and quickly thought to all Hinata had said. Immediately, his mind happened on the one piece of information that could actually benefit Sasuke and his stomach instinctively clenched around the thought of what Sasuke would do with the knowledge.

Naruto wasn't going to play Sasuke's game. He'd do what needed to be done to protect him but he wouldn't sell out his honor to do it. Hinata deserved more than just to be used as some turnkey for Sasuke.

Questions he didn't want to think about filled Naruto's mind as he descended the stairs to the main club floor. Was Hinata truly happy with the Hyuga? And just what the hell was Neji up to by inviting Naruto to visit? Clearly the mobster was aware of his and Sasuke's previous relationship and yet he had no qualms about openly suggesting that he had an obvious interest in Naruto outside of the professional realm.

Naruto's mind swam around what Sasuke would make of their affair being known to the other clans. Surely it couldn't just be the Hyuga who knew about it. Naruto knew how fast underground information spread throughout the criminal world and this piece of information would definitely make for juicy gossip. Would Sasuke be upset that his private life was no longer private? Naruto wondered if Sasuke would re-think employing Naruto now that the true nature of their relationship was known.

A nervous twinge in his stomach pulled at the thought. Not sure if it was relief at the prospect of being free of his deal with Sasuke or an uneasiness at being forced from the Uchiha's side, Naruto pushed the emotion down hard. He had no intention of exploring his feelings for Sasuke at this moment. It was all too much for him. Hinata, the Hyuga and now he was going to face Sasuke's questions about just how much information he could pry from his childhood sweetheart. Naruto felt his pulse quicken and a slow heat rise to his face. He was getting angry. Angry that his leaving Hinata behind had caused her to give herself to an unforgiving underworld. Angry at Neji's offer and angry that in a short moment, Sasuke was going to confront him and demand he use his relationship with Hinata to serve his own purposes.

Everything was spinning out of his control.

Naruto clenched his fist as he neared the bottom of the stairs and walked toward where Sasuke was waiting.

"Thank you, Juugo." Sasuke turned from Juugo as Naruto walked toward them both. Immediately, Sasuke read the dark expression on Naruto's face.

In just a few short weeks, Sasuke had learned much about the blond's moods. Most of them teetered on the edge of humor. Even when Naruto was glaring defiantly at him, Sasuke could always read the laughter hidden in the blue depths of his eyes. Sasuke saw none of that mirth playing on the man's face now.

The blond looked positively wrecked. He wasn't outright scowling but there was an edge to his face nonetheless. A myriad of emotions were all over the blond's face. Trying to read them all, Sasuke knew one thing was sure, Naruto was pissed. Reading people was an Uchiha gift and damn if Sasuke didn't see that Naruto was about to blow. It wouldn't take a genius to deduce that Naruto would blame Sasuke for whatever pain he's feeling now. After all, this was all his plan, was it not? Sasuke had sent the blond head-first into the Hyuga's woman knowing full well that Naruto had some kind obvious history with her, and with every intention of exploiting it.

Naruto stood in front of Sasuke ready for anything. He knew the man would want answers but Naruto wasn't in the mood to give any. His world had shifted. Everything was off balance. His mind scrambled trying to place all the pieces together.

Didn't Hinata get sent to Orochimaru's? The brothel hadn't been her choice but staying with the Hyuga was? Did she really believe that a life with Neji and running his prostitution house was the best future for her? Naruto's mind raced. Was it survival or was this the woman hidden within the girl he thought he knew?

Sasuke watched as doubt and a tinge of restraint washed over Naruto's face. As the confusion and pain on the blond's face played against each other, Sasuke took it all in. He tried to remember that Naruto was now on his payroll and no longer his lover and pushed away his initial concern for Naruto's state. No, Sasuke didn't want to know how the woman had injured the man standing in front of him. The memories of him and Naruto in the tub, talking softly to each other only served to remind himself that gentleness was for the weak. This was business.

"What did you find out?" Facing Naruto, Sasuke hardened his eyes and steeled his expression. He knew this was the moment he would have to show to his crew that there would be no favoritism to the blond.

Naruto could see Sasuke was in no mood to listen or care about his feelings. The anger that was already bubbling within him slowly built to a low thrum.

He knew if he didn't walk away from the Uchiha soon, he was going to lose it but at this moment all he could think about was trying to stay calm. Naruto forced his breathing to slow and steadied himself in front of Sasuke.

"Not much." Naruto met Sasuke's hard stare with his own. "She runs his brothel on the far end of Brooklyn. Neji bou... took her from Orochimaru a few years ago."

"What else?" Sasuke didn't need to beat around the bush with the blonde. It was all over his face that he was holding something back. "I know there's more, Naruto. Tell me." Sasuke took a step forward and into Naruto's space. He wasn't about to let Naruto off the hook just because he had been hurt by that _woman_.

"There's nothing else, Sasuke." Naruto's blue eyes darkened. "I didn't want to keep her away from the Hyuga too long, so we didn't get much chance to talk." Naruto tried to keep his voice even but he could already hear a bite creeping into his tone. "She told me she was sent to Orochimaru's from the orphanage where we grew up and Neji found her soon after."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "He bought the woman from Orochimaru and then just let her run one of his most profitable businesses?" Sasuke was no fool, yet here was Naruto talking to him like he was. Sasuke felt his own anger begin to peak.

Naruto flinched slightly at Sasuke's use of the work _bought_ and Sasuke had caught it. Seeing the crack in Naruto's expression was just what Sasuke needed. If the blond was gonna hold back information then Sasuke would yank it out of him.

Without taking his eyes off Naruto, Sasuke raised his voice. "Everyone leave us. Now." Holding the blond's eyes, Sasuke reached into his vest pocket and pulled out his cigarettes. He broke his stare and took one of the cigarettes into his mouth. Placing his pack back into his pocket he then looked up at Naruto and raised an unamused brow at the man.

Naruto held Sasuke's dark eyes with his own as Juugo and Sasori walked past and climbed up the staircase and out of the club. He clenched his fists tighter and narrowed his eyes at the Uchiha. So this is how Sasuke wants to play it? His heart-rate picked up and slowly, Naruto unclenched his fists and reached into his own pocket for his matches.

Striking a match, Naruto lifted it to Sasuke's cigarette and watched as a slow smug look washed across the Uchiha's face.

Naruto tasted the metallic flavor of blood in his mouth. He had bitten down too hard on his tongue to keep from screaming at the Uchiha. He was losing his grip on his patience and didn't know how much longer he would be able to remember that the man standing in front of him was a dangerous New York crime boss.

"I don't care what that woman is to you, Naruto," Sasuke bit out as he turned away from the blond and walked back to the table. "You have a job to do. A job I'm _paying_ you to do." Sasuke turned to face Naruto, leaning back against table before taking a long slow drag of his cigarette.

"So tell me, how long was she working for Orochimaru before Neji bought her?" Sasuke watched as Naruto shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew he was baiting the blond.

Sasuke knew there had to be a reason why the Hyuga would just up and let some whore run one of his businesses. Especially one that competes with Orochimaru's across town. He took a long drag of his cigarette and decided to push the anger he saw brewing within Naruto. The blond's anger he could handle. Disobedience he had no tolerance for. This was business and Naruto needed to learn from the outset that he would do the job he was being paid to do without question. Sasuke was more than willing to school the man on the subject.

"I know what you're trying to do, Sasuke." Naruto opened his eyes and looked back at Sasuke. "I already told- "

"You're holding something back!" Sasuke's voice shot through the club and his eyes turned cold. His face turned hard though his body stayed relaxed against the table. He took another drag of his smoke and snuffed the butt out on the table without taking his eyes from the blond. "You work for _me_ ," Sasuke growled. " I won't be disobeyed, Naruto."

"Goddamn it, Sasuke!" Naruto closed the distance between them and stopped just a foot away from him. "What the fuck do you want from me?" Naruto again clenched his fists but this time it was to keep himself from grabbing Sasuke and shaking him.

"I want your fucking loyalty, Naruto!" Sasuke leveled himself off the table and faced the blond. "You are clan now and you work for me, not Hyuga Neji's whore! So tell me what she said!"

Naruto lunged at Sasuke but the Uchiha had been expecting it and was quick. Sasuke dodged Naruto's attack and grabbed one of his arms and pinned it behind the blond's back, shoving him hard against the table.

Naruto forced himself to not fight back as he braced himself against the table with his free hand and turned his head back to look as Sasuke.

Twisting Naruto's wrist harshly, Sasuke increased the pressure and leaned in to Naruto. He pressed his body flush against the blond's, gritted his teeth and spoke into his ear. "You fucking come at me, Naruto?" Sasuke' pushed himself harder against Naruto's body and felt a stirring beginning to settle low in him.

"We can settle this the clan way, Naruto." Sasuke gritted out and Naruto went still for a moment remembering that the man pinning him down wasn't just his former lover but a ruthless gangster.

Naruto did what he could to not focus on the fact that his ass was pressed up against Sasuke's growing erection. Instead he growled back at the Uchiha. "Sasuke."

Sasuke pulled Naruto's wrist higher up his back until he finally saw the blond wince.

" _Sasuke_ ," Naruto warned again.

"No, Naruto." Sasuke gritted back. "You're going to obey me. And if you don't," Sasuke pushed himself harder against Naruto and pushed the blond's torso down flat against the table in front of him until Naruto's cheek hit the wood surface with a thunk. "I will make you obey."

Naruto had enough. He might have agreed to work for the Uchiha, but he was no one's bitch. With all his strength, Naruto pushed himself up and shoved back against Sasuke hard. The slight release in Sasuke's grip was all Naruto needed to wrest his hand free and spin around to face the Uchiha who was now off balance and stumbling backwards. Grabbing Sasuke's neck with one hand and using his leg to trip up the mobster, Naruto increased his grip as Sasuke went down hard onto the floor with Naruto landing in top of him.

Naruto felt a sharp pain in his side as he sat on the floor straddling Sasuke. Looking away from Sasuke's blazing dark eyes, he scanned down and saw the switchblade the Uchiha was now pressing forcefully against his body. Ignoring the pain in his side, Naruto increased the pressure around Sasuke's neck and leaned down to whisper into the Uchiha's ear.

"You control me because _I let you,_ Sasuke." Naruto lifted his face and looked into Sasuke's eyes.

Both men stared at each other. Naruto searched Sasuke's midnight eyes for some kind of softness; any remnants of the tenderness he once shared with this man. Something he might be able to appeal to for a little time. Time to make sense of everything that was happening and time to set right the feeling that his life was spinning out of control.

Sasuke's cock hardened. He couldn't help it. No one had ever dared fight back before. As his pulse evened out as it usually did whenever Sasuke was faced with an intense situation, he wondered just how rough the blond would get.

Slowly he eased his grip on Sasuke's throat but received no reaction from the Uchiha. The mobster just stared hard at the blond as if waiting for his next move.

"Please, Sasuke," Naruto said in a low tone. "Don't make me choose."

As Naruto began to sit up, Sasuke regarded the blond carefully. He didn't have to look to know Naruto was hard as well from the excitement of the scuffle. However, he was surprised by Naruto's restraint. Even though he could still plainly see the hurt and anger swimming in the man's blue eyes, the lust was also clearly visible. Sasuke didn't want to think about why it made him happy to see he could still get such a reaction out of the blond.

He could feel Naruto holding back and Sasuke again marveled at the blond's infinitely layered moral character. Sasuke never had reason nor the desire to restrain himself from what he wanted or from his emotions and it intrigued him that this man would hold back from both even though he seemingly had the upper hand at the moment.

Sasuke, however was not one to let another's weakness keep him from using it to his advantage. The second Naruto's hand released its grip from around his throat, Sasuke snatched Naruto's wrist with his free hand and yanked it hard to the left as he flipped Naruto's body to the right and reversed their positions.

Naruto's back hit the floor and Sasuke immediately pinned the wrist above the blond's head and pressed the switchblade against Naruto's throat. Sasuke tried to shift his legs to straddle Naruto but Naruto instead increased his grip and wrapped his legs tighter around the crime boss preventing him from moving.

A dark grin spread across Sasuke's face. "Is there something you want from me, Naruto?"

Feeling the knife press harder against his adam's apple, Naruto shifted underneath Sasuke. He tried to will his body to ignore the sensation of Sasuke's hard cock pushing against his own hardness but his dick simply wouldn't listen. Naruto couldn't understand his desire to fight and fuck the man now looming above him.

"I want you to get the fuck off of me," Naruto breathed out. He knew his voice betrayed him but he didn't care. He didn't want to give into his base desires. At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to get as far away from Uchiha Sasuke as he could. He was tired of the games, tired of the mixed signals and completely fed up with the way this criminal lifestyle kept those around him trapped in delusions of happiness.

Leaning down close to Naruto, Sasuke let his lips brush against Naruto's cheek. "It doesn't feel like that's what you want," Sasuke spoke against the warmth of Naruto's skin.

Naruto's free hand pressed harder against the floor. He desperately tried to keep from using it to grab Sasuke by the hair and yanking his mouth to his own. As if sensing Naruto's failing strength, Sasuke slowly ground his hips and smiled into the crook of Naruto's neck as he heard the blond let out a shuddered breath.

"Goddammit, Sasuke!" Naruto shoved the mobster back hard and flipped him off. Naruto scurried backwards and quickly got to his feet. Still panting, he stood and watched as Sasuke slowly got up and brushed himself off.

Both men stood staring at each other, trying to will their bodies to deny the heat that was already building between them.

Sasuke slowed his breathing not wanting to show the effect Naruto was having on him. Watching the blond straighten up and take a half step back flared Sasuke's ego. He glanced at Naruto's slacks and saw that he was just as turned on as Sasuke was, but it was Naruto's earlier shove and now retreat that set Sasuke's blood to boil.

Sasuke stared at Naruto. "Are you disobeying me, Naruto?"

"Sasu-"

"Where does your fucking loyalty lie, Naruto!" Sasuke had enough of the foreplay, he wanted the information on the Hyuga now. He was done waiting.

"Don't I pay you well enough for your goddamn loyalty?" Sasuke glared at Naruto.

Naruto's anger shook through him. "Your money will never buy my respect, Sasuke," Naruto gritted out between his clenched teeth.

Sasuke's eyes blazed at Naruto. Slowly he walked to him and stopped a few feet away. As Sasuke's blood heated, he tried to shove away the thoughts of just how good it had felt to be pressed up against the man a moment ago. He needed a distraction.

A slight gleam came to Sasuke's eyes. "Did you enjoy seeing Neji safely through the lobby?"

Naruto's breath caught. "You set that up?" Naruto felt his rage spike. "You twisted fuck! What the hell are you try-"

"To run a business, Naruto!" Sasuke's voice boomed as got in the blonde's face. "To do whatever the fuck it takes to obtain information! To grease the wheels!"

"By offering me up to the Hyuga?" Naruto dug his fingers deeper into his palms cutting into the skin from trying to keep himself from grabbing the man standing in front if him and beating him into a pulp. "I'm not your personal whore, Sasuke!" Naruto couldn't believe the Uchiha actually thought he could just pimp Naruto out for his own personal gains. "Is this what you meant for me when you hired me on? To have me turn tricks for you?"

"I brought you in to help me find out who put a hit on me! And escorting the Hyuga was not turning tricks, Naruto. It's not like you were on your knees. I simply let the man enjoy your company in the hopes he might let something slip."

Closing his eyes to keep from having to stare into Sasuke's cold black ones, Naruto took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. When he opened his eyes and looked back at the mob boss, the weight in his heart tugged as the fight began to slowly seep out of him. Where was the man who had seduced and held him tight, not willing to let him go for hours on end?

Naruto swallowed around the growing lump in his throat. He had been wrong about Sasuke. Wrong about Hinata. And he had been wrong to take the job with the Uchiha Clan. No amount of money was worth this.

"Tell me what she told you, Naruto." Sasuke kept his voice hard though he could tell the fight had now gone from the blonde.

Naruto considered his options. He knew he couldn't lie to Sasuke. He wasn't about to break his own moral code just to satisfy Sasuke but he also knew that denying the Uchiha for much longer could jeopardize his _and_ Gaara's safety.

Telling Sasuke what happened wasn't the same as giving in to what he knew the mob boss would demand Naruto do with the information, he thought. If Sasuke wanted to know about Hinata, Naruto wouldn't deny him but the man would be sorely mistaken if thought for a second that Naruto would ever take advantage of a friend for the clan's business pursuits.

Naruto lowered his eyes and looked off to the side, no longer caring to meet Sasuke's stare.

"She said Neji provided for her and that she has influence and complete autonomy within the clan."

Understanding now why Naruto had held back, Sasuke nodded at the blond and took a step back from him. "And you and her were close once upon a time?"

Naruto looked up. His eyes defiant.

"I won't do it, Sasuke. I won't use her to get information for you," Naruto quietly said.

"By any means necessary, Naruto. Do you know what that means?"

"Yeah," Naruto answered glibly. "When you let your character and honor fall to the wayside so you can whore out your own clan without remorse and all for a few tidbits of misinformation."

"I didn't whore you out!" Sasuke forced himself to breathe. "Goddammit, Naruto! I just wanted to see if he'd open up to you and let something slip. It's no fucking secret the man's tastes run the gamut."

"Well then, I guess you were right. Because he did open up to me," Naruto steadied his gaze at Sasuke as the Uchiha's eyes lit up in curiosity.

"What did he say?"

"He invited me to visit him. He said he would enjoy my company _immensely_." Naruto kept his eyes glued on Sasuke. Was this really what he wanted? For Naruto to go to the Hyuga's bed just so he could bring back information? Sasuke's stoic mask was firmly in place as Naruto scanned his dark eyes. Yet just for a split second, there had been something. One small flicker behind the blackened orbs but it wasn't enough to for Naruto to discern the Uchiha's reaction and he let out a deep sigh in frustration.

"What did you mean by, misinformation?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the blonde.

Naruto's answer had pleased him at first. The satisfaction from knowing he'd been right to bait the Hyuga with Naruto settled over him but the feeling was immediately replaced by another emotion as the image of Naruto and Neji together filled his mind. Sasuke quickly shook the image away just as another question entered his mind.

"What did you mean by misinformation, Naruto?" Sasuke repeated.

Knowing the next few words could send Sasuke into another rage, Naruto leaned back against a nearby table and took a deep breath.

"Kakashi-"

"No!" Sasuke cut Naruto off. "I won't listen to a word you have to say about that idiot. That man means nothing to me, Naruto."

Sasuke held up his hand in the air for Naruto to stop and then turned from the blond and began walking away.

"Then I can't help you," Naruto said. He watched as Sasuke stopped and turned back to face him. ' _How could I have mistaken him for someone strong,'_ he thought as he took in the sight of his one time lover walking towards him. Naruto couldn't deny the strength of will in the Uchiha but it was the man's arrogance that made him weak. Not being strong enough to consider he could have made a mistake or been wrong about someone or something would be the death of Sasuke. Naruto shuddered at the thought. Even though he now regretted his previous infatuation with the man, he couldn't help the sadness that flooded into him at the thought of any harm coming to Uchiha Sasuke.

Sasuke walked up to Naruto and stood directly in front of him considering the blond for a moment. He didn't see the usual defiance in Naruto's blue eyes but instead saw a twinge of dejection. Sasuke paused at the look wondering for a moment why the blond's eyes seemed suddenly intense and dark but quickly refocused on the matter at hand.

"You wear the Uchiha mark," Sasuke said as he again steeled his eyes at Naruto. "Do you think I will let you simply walk out on our agreement? Don't mistake my allowing you temporary clan status for softness, Naruto."

Leveling himself off the table, Naruto stepped up to Sasuke. "I can't do my job of protecting you if you're not going to even consider all possibilities of danger. Your arrogance is making you blind, Sasuke." Naruto saw his comment hit home as the Uchiha blinked.

' _Don't carry all the weight on your shoulders out of stubbornness, Otuoto. Asking for help is not weakness, Sasuke.'_ Itachi's voice rang clear in Sasuke's head.

"Sasuke…" Naruto said softly. "I doubt you would've hired me if you thought I was a fool."

Sasuke stood staring at the blond, half listening and half irritated at the man's continued ability to make the memory of his brother flood his mind.

Naruto stepped closer to the Uchiha and spoke in a near whisper. "Kakashi said Itachi asked him to warn you about Madara if anything should happen to him."

Sasuke's eyes widened fractionally and he looked at Naruto in disbelief. "That's not possible," Sasuke's voice hardened and his eyes narrowed at Naruto.

"If Kakashi was lying then you should dismiss me from your crew, Sasuke. Because I saw no lie in the man's face." Naruto held Sasuke's stare and spoke firmly. "Even if you have doubts, there are ways I can look into this without tipping anyone off." Naruto held his breath but pushed forward anyway. "Let me do my job, Sasuke." Naruto steeled his blue eyes at the Uchiha. "The job you're paying me to do."

Sasuke's mind was efficient. The inside job. The cleaned out rooms of the stabbed men from his crew. The message Kakashi was given right before the explosion at the docks. Had he been wrong this entire time? He knew there was little love between Itachi and Madara but had there been more to it than that? And if so, why didn't his brother tell him? That old frustration from his brother's insistence at playing all the cards so close to his chest rose up in Sasuke. How many times had Itachi shut him out from some overprotective need to shelter Sasuke while simultaneously scolding Sasuke for trying to carry so much weight on his own?

Sasuke clenched his jaw and looked at Naruto with sharp resolve. "Tell me."

Naruto let out his breath and continued to speak low. "I got a network I can tap into for information. Rumors, gossip, you name it, they track and listen to it all. They're not connected to you or to me and Gaara from the orphanage so it they won't be traced back to you."

Naruto reached into Sasuke's vest pocket and pulled out his smokes. Pulling two out he handed one to Sasuke and lit it for him before lighting his own.

Sasuke fought the urge to smirk at the blond's boldness. Naruto kept surprising him and damn it all if he still didn't find every bit of it enticing.

Taking a long drag, Naruto let relief wash over him that the situation had calmed. He looked back at Sasuke and continued, "Give me and Gaara leave for awhile. In our old street clothes we can disappear into New York and come back with enough information to help you zero in on who ordered the hit on you and whether or not Madara's connected."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

Sensing Sasuke's apprehension at letting Naruto leave, he spoke up. "I don't bail on my obligations, Sasuke." Naruto swallowed and tried to harden his voice. "I will come back."

Sasuke regarded the blond. No, Naruto wasn't a man who would go back on his word, he thought. "Me, you and Gaara. No one else."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "It might be a few days but I'll send updates through Kakashi."

"What is it with you and that man?" Sasuke's irritation returned at the thought of that white-haired baffoon returning to his club.

"He said he was Itachi's friend and I believe him." Naruto watched as Sasuke took in his words. "He kept coming back no matter how many times you threw him out."

Naruto took a deep breath, "And right now the list of who we can trust is thin," he said and let out a long sigh.

"Fine," Sasuke spat out. He took a long drag of his cigarette and then examined the tobacco filled stick thoughtfully. "I still want you pressing that Hinata woman for information."

Sasuke looked back at Naruto and saw the blond nod slightly.

" _If_ my search comes up cold," was all Naruto would commit to.

Sasuke nodded back. "When would you leave?" Sasuke tried to look disinterested as he waited for Naruto's reply. He found it almost ridiculous that he even cared that the blond would be leaving for a few days.

Naruto watched as Sasuke casually adjusted his cufflinks just as he always did whenever he was trying to give off an impression of disregard.

Naruto turned around and snuffed out his cigarette in the ashtray on the table behind him. As he looked back at Sasuke, a light humor reached his eyes. "Whenever you give your permission, Sasuke-san."

Sasuke let out a light snort of air and took another drag off his smoke. "Tch. Dobe." Sasuke tried to fight the smirk that began to tug on his lips.

Walking to where Naruto stood against the other table, Sasuke stood directly in front of him and leaned in while holding Naruto's blue eyes with his own.

Naruto held still as Sasuke reached behind him and without breaking eye contact, crushed out his cigarette in the ashtray just behind the blond.

Instead of his usual response to the nearness of Sasuke, Naruto lowered his eyes and felt a strange resignation. The Uchiha was not the man Naruto thought he was. No matter how much he was still attracted to him, Naruto couldn't shake the knowledge that the man in front of him would easily and without pause deal him out for a quick leg up in the business. Sasuke was hardly the first mob boss to feel that way, but this kind of mob philosophy wouldn't earn Naruto's respect nor his affection.

Naruto let out a long heavy sigh and gently pushed past Sasuke. He took a few steps and then turned to face his former lover. "If there's nothing else, I'm pretty hungry and wouldn't mind being excused. It's been a long day, Sasuke."

Sasuke had watched as the blond levered himself off the table to move away from him. Now Naruto was standing just beyond his reach and a trace of disappointment seemed to be reflected in his blue eyes. Sasuke couldn't name the feeling rising up in him but he knew he didn't care for it. The goddamn blond and his noble intentions. If Naruto wanted to keep things professional so be it. After all, wasn't that the way Sasuke had wanted it from the beginning? It's business, he reminded himself and steeled his dark eyes at the blond.

"If you're not back in a week, I will drag you back myself."

Naruto nodded at Sasuke. "Do whatever you need to, Sasuke." He knew the Uchiha was pissed at Naruto's dismissal of his advances but he didn't care. Maybe now Sasuke would back off a bit and Naruto could focus on the task at hand. "Are we finished here?"

"Get the fuck out," Sasuke bit out and watched as Naruto turned to leave and head for the stairs.

Just before reaching the handrail, Naruto turned back. "The Hyuga knows about you and me," Naruto scanned Sasuke's face for any sign of surprise but saw none. "If he knows, then it's likely that it's no longer a secret from anyone."

Not seeing any reaction from Sasuke, Naruto turned back to the stairs. "Just thought you should know." Naruto climbed the staircase and left Sasuke standing in the club alone.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 **Author's note: I really wanted to end this chapter with a cliffhanger but I thought having Sasuke standing alone would serve as a better foreshadowing as to what's ahead for the young crime boss. So next chapter I'm going to intercut Naruto's & Gaara's journey into New York's city streets with some insight into just what's going on with Sakura. Oh and maybe some fun interaction with Sasuke & Kakashi? … and oh yeah… I think it's about time for Madara check in on Sasuke, don't you? I hope you like this chapter and I'm hoping to make the next one exciting and tension-filled. Thanks for reading! **


	9. Chapter 9: Realizations

**Author's Note** : Well at a little over 9k, I hope this chapter tides you over until the next one! In this chapter, I really wanted to bring a little more drama as well as set up what's to come later in the story. I really hope you like it and let me say that I am very sorry there is no smut in this chapter LOL. Believe me, I'm just as anxious for more as you are! But, if my muse is in a giving mood, there should be some smut coming in form of a flashback next chapter! And I'm really working towards that. Because what is fanfiction without the smut? I hope you enjoy this chapter and OH! I'm having a hard time trying to decide if I want Neji to be a bad guy from beginning to end OR if I make him redeemable later on. Any thoughts? Let me know! I hope you enjoy reading and the next chapter should be coming soon!

 **Disclaimer** : I get no money from this and Kishi owns all the rights.

 **Added thanks** : To my wonderful and ever brilliant, Kizukatana! Thanks for all your input and your constant encouragement. LOVE YOU BAE! 3

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Realizations**

The Saturday the Tokyo Palace was scheduled to open, Tenten had kept them all longer than usual at their morning crew meeting.

It had been a week since the Hyuga's visit and plans were already in motion to reopen the club. Sasuke had been pushing them all hard toward a Saturday night deadline and Tenten had thrived under the added pressure. She had them running scenarios, testing equipment and keeping up with weapons training as well as some hand-to-hand fighting techniques, should they encounter another incident at the club.

Thankfully, the men had been sufficient enough with the frantic pace she and Sasuke had set that none of them had needed to be retrained or replaced at the last minute.

That whole week Sasuke would sometimes sit back at the bar and watch the drills while lazily smoking a cigarette. Both Gaara and Naruto knew better than to think the Uchiha wasn't paying attention. His calculating eyes never missed a thing and whenever he did catch sight of a faulty weapon or an incorrect placement of the crew's patrol routes, he was quick address his concern to Tenten.

During that time, Gaara couldn't help but notice the way the Uchiha would never speak directly to Naruto. Granted, he hardly ever addressed any of them one-on-one, but if an occasion arose where Naruto would offer up a question or valid input, Sasuke would reply to Tenten and not Naruto. Gaara could tell the situation was playing hard on Naruto's nerves but his best friend had somehow managed to keep his trap shut and not voice his irritation at being so deliberately ignored.

The redhead knew something had happened between the two of them the day the Hyuga had visited, but he was in the dark just like everyone else as to what had actually gone on between Naruto and Sasuke that afternoon.

When Sasuke again ignored a direct question from Naruto at the Saturday morning meeting, Tenten had shot Gaara a questioning look, but Gaara had tensed at her stare and instead looked the other way.

He didn't know how the brunette had taken his reaction but Gaara knew that it was more from his frustration at Naruto not confiding in him rather than any embarrassment he might be feeling from the previous day's events.

Even though Tenten had caught him in a rather curious situation with Sakura on Friday, Gaara wasn't holding onto any uncomfortableness about the event.

At least that's what he kept trying to tell himself.

The day before had been full of surprises and it had all started with the arrival of another member of the Uchiha clan. From there to an eye opening conversation with Sakura, the day had left the redhead with a hell of a headache for the rest of the night.

Sitting in his bed back at his and Naruto's apartment at Pierrepont Place later that night, his mind had played the moment with Sakura over and over. He had followed her to the dressing room to confront her and had several times ended up somehow confused by the scent of her perfume.

The conversation that played out between them made him restless as he lay in bed. He still wasn't too sure how he was going to pull Sakura out of it all but he knew he wasn't about to give up on her. As his mind mulled over how to solve a seemingly unsolvable riddle, his old protective nature had begun to rear its obsessive head, trying to convince himself that if he kept at it long enough, he would be able to come up with some kind of plan to help his childhood friend. The sinking reminder of how he had let her down in the past nudged at his already frayed nerves and made his head pound harder. Silently, Gaara promised himself that he would do whatever he could to rectify his past mistakes.

He could feel exhaustion coming on. The privacy and protection of Pierrepont Place had done nothing to curb his anxiety about letting down his guard enough for a full night's sleep. But as his mind became tired from all the work at the club and trying to find a solution for Sakura, he knew that he wouldn't be able to keep from taking a quick nap to replenish his energy.

Grabbing the switchblade from under his pillow, Gaara got up and dragged himself to the far right corner of his room. Facing the bedroom door and with his back to the wall, he sat down on the floor and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and tried to still his mind. Finally after a few minutes, sometime between trying to dissect the fragrance Sakura had been wearing and how it was that he had never realized her eyes were the same color as his, he began to drift off into a restless sleep.

* * *

Sasuke had told them all the day after the Hyuga's visit that he would be opening the club immediately. Since then, they had all been working double-time trying to get the club ready to open by the next Saturday night. Once that Friday had rolled around, everyone was exhausted.

 _It had been a hot afternoon. June was already setting in and with all the prepping, inside and outside The Tokyo Palace, by the time three in the afternoon rolled around, all the men were downing ice cold soda pop and beer in gulps, trying to stave off the early summer heat._

 _None of them complained when Sasuke had them all run drill after drill or when Tenten had them all on the roof and sweating under the afternoon sun while helping with the new renovations above the club. Once they all had finally found their way back inside the nightclub, it was nearing four o'clock and everyone was beat and irritable from exhaustion._

 _Now Tenten had them in the club going over the hotel blueprints to help pinpoint where a few more triggers throughout the hotel and club would go. They only had a day to install what they could and Tenten was pushing hard to meet the goal._

 _Taking Naruto's warning into consideration, Sasuke hadn't wanted to tip off the clan that he was trying to precure explosives of any kind. Forced to find another connection, he had Tenten work the crew for another contact. Luckily, Gaara and Naruto's old safe house in Queens was able to come through for them at the last minute. Teuchi had told the boys when they had shown up in person to ask his help, that he would be happy to help them out and even more willing to do a favor for the Uchiha clan._

 _Teuchi had shot both boys a quick approving nod when he had seen them pull up in a shiny Cadillac Victoria coupe and then immediately set out to do what he could for them._

 _Now that they had the material they needed, they only had one day left to wire everything and set it all up. With the roof of the club already taken care of, only the club and the hotel lobby remained. Of course it might all be for naught and Saturday night would end up going off without a hitch, but it was always best to be prepared._

 _Cigarette smoke clouded around them as they went over the plans. At the other end of the club, the band was softly rehearsing the songs Sakura would be performing the coming Saturday night._

"Allll of meee... why not take allll of meee… can't you seee, I'm no good withoouut youuu…" _Sakura's milky voice soothed the over the foul moods as Tenten quizzed them one more time on the proper distance between the stations and each trigger._

" _Sai, Genma, come with me to the lobby and I'll show you the exact point where the line of sight changes." Tenten motioned for the pale-skinned man and the new doorman to follow her and left Sasori and Naruto at the table to continue cleaning their side arms and going over the club's schematics. Sasori had proven more than skilled in understanding the mechanisms involved in triggering explosives on timing devices and was taking a bit of pleasure in showing off his knowledge to Naruto._

"' _Right 'ere is where ya want the fucker placed." Sasori tapped his finger near the hotel main door._

 _Naruto nodded in understanding. "If they make in, they won't make it out."_

" _Fucking aye," Sasori answered and pulled his shoulders back a bit at the impressed tone of Naruto's words._

" _Can we start again at the second verse right after the bridge?" Sakura's voice carried over and Naruto glanced her way. The band began to play and Sakura marked the tempo falling in effortlessly._ "Take my liiiips... I want to lose them... taaake my arms... I'll never use them..."

 _Naruto looked from Sakura to the blueprints and then quickly jerked his head back up as Sasuke walked out of the box office followed by two New York flat-foots._

 _They had wandered into the club about an hour ago and Sasuke had immediately escorted the two officers into the office and closed the door behind them._

 _Now Sasuke was ushering them out of the box office and the men all appeared to be exchanging goodbyes. It seemed that the two cops had gotten wind of The Palace opening again and had come sniffing around for a payoff. Naruto may not have been in on their meeting but he had lived on the streets long enough to know a shakedown when he saw one. There was no mistaking the greedy gleam in the men's eyes when they had casually followed Sasuke into the office for a chat._

 _Sasuke was nearing the stairs and just as he was about to reach out and shake their hands, a tall dark-haired man burst through the stage door and quickly glanced around the club._

 _Marking Sasuke's location, the dark-haired man strode fluidly by Sakura and the band, and straight to where Sasuke was standing with the pair of New York's finest._

" _Sasuke."_

" _Uncle," Sasuke replied as he turned to greet him. "I'll be with you, shortly." Sasuke turned back to the cops and offered his hand to one then the other. "Thank you for stopping by officers. I hope things remain quiet from now on as well." Shaking hands, Sasuke kept his keen eyes fixed on the two uniformed men in front of him._

 _Both men smiled back at Sasuke and then shot a quick look at the dark-haired man standing behind him._

 _Sasuke's eyes narrowed._

 _While the two cops had tried to smile casually at his uncle Madara, the look in their eyes had twitched, giving Sasuke plenty of time to catch the knowing look that washed across their faces. Nothing ever got passed his scrutiny. Of course it wasn't the definitive proof Sasuke was looking for but it was a damn good start. His uncle had been up to something with the two men who were now turning and leaving his club, and Sasuke was no longer holding any doubts about Kakashi's warning._

 _That white-haired, one-eyed buffoon had been telling the truth, Sasuke thought to himself._

 _Turning to face Madara, Sasuke held out his hand to his uncle and they shook hands cordially. "It's good to see you, Madara. What brings you this way?" He held to his normal flat tone and held out his arm in front of him, motioning for his uncle to follow him to the bar._

" _Would you care for a drink? I don't keep any booze at the bar for obvious reasons but I can bring out the whiskey that was just shipped in." Madara waved his hand in front of him, signaling his lack of interest in the whiskey._

 _Behind them, Sakura had the band trying out a new tune and both Uchiha's had turned for a second to listen._

"See the pyramids alooong the Niiile… watch the sunrise on a tropic iiisle… just remember darling all the whiiile, you belooong tooo meee…"

 _Turning his attention back to his uncle and walking behind the bar, Sasuke reached into the ice chest below the counter and pulled out two ice cold soda bottles. Uncapping both, Sasuke handed one to his uncle and held his own up in return._

" _To your health." Sasuke lifted his glass and lowered his head ever so slightly but held his eyes on Madara. Careful to remain his usual dismissive self, Sasuke then broke the gaze and reached for his smokes._

 _Madara took a seat at bar and settled his gaze on the younger Uchiha._

" _I hear you're opening the club, Sasuke." Madara nodded back to his nephew at the toast and took a sip of the cold drink. "Does this mean you are certain there will be no more attacks on the club?"_

 _Sasuke lit a cigarette and then offered his pack to Madara who politely declined. "The only thing I'm certain of is that the next time someone tries to rob me, they won't make it past the hotel lobby doors." Sasuke took a long drag of his smoke and waited for his uncle's reply._

" _This club may be in your name Sasuke, but it's run with Uchiha money," Marada said with an air of authority. "I can't have this club emptying our financial resources. You don't even know if your customers will come back." Marada set his drink down hard on the bar. "And I cannot have this nightclub drawing unwanted attention to the Uchiha clan."_

" _The wealthy patrons will return and I have taken many precautions to ensure we will not be caught by surprise again."_

 _Madara let out an exasperated sigh. "By hiring a new crew?" He motioned behind him and toward where Naruto and Sasori were still quietly going over the blueprints and post positions for Saturday's club opening. "I've heard about your new blond-haired bodyguard."_

 _Sasuke didn't react to his uncle's words and kept to his bored and smug demeanor. "Are you actually going to try and comment on my private affairs, Uncle?" Sasuke reached for his drink and took a swig. "Last I heard, your count was up to five visits since Monday." Casually examining the soda glass before setting it on the counter, Sasuke lifted his gaze to the elder Uchiha. "You carry a distinct stench about you, Madara. Only I don't know which one is worse; the perfumed odor of the Hyuga's brothel or the stink of the opium he sells you."_

 _Madara's fist came down hard on the bar with a bang. Both soda bottles were knocked over from the vibration of the hit causing Sasori and Naruto to look over at the two Uchiha's._

 _Gaara had just come down the staircase and was walking up to Naruto when he had heard the noise. He followed their gazes to the bar and all three men exchanged looks as a distinct,_ stay alert _expression passed between them._

" _We all have our proclivities, Uncle. But mine doesn't dull my instincts." Sasuke hardened his eyes at the elder man in front of him. "I will take care of_ my _club_ my _way. You needn't worry about any unwanted attention. I know what the next few months are about."_

" _Be careful, Sasuke." Madara stood up from the barstool and eyed his nephew. "No matter what feelings I have for your father and mother, I will not think twice about shutting this place down if you cause me any unnecessary issues with law enforcement."_

 _Sasuke considered his uncle's threat and took another long drag from his cigarette. "Have I missed something, Madara? I wasn't aware that my club was losing money. I have always brought in more than the clan has had to finance, so why the lack of confidence now?"_

 _Madara straightened his suit and smugly regarded Sasuke. "The money from this place will pale in comparison to what we stand to make from next month's deal." A dark smile crawled across Madara's face. "Don't forget your place, Sasuke. My say-so, not money, will determine whether or not this club will be allowed to operate."_

 _Sasuke clenched his jaw at his uncle's words._

 _Satisfied with Sasuke's reaction, Madara turned from the bar and headed back toward the stage door._

 _Gaara had barely moved a muscle as he watched Madara pass their table. He didn't hear what the clan patriarch and Sasuke had discussed but he did mark the tension between the two. It was his first time laying eyes on the infamous Uchiha Madara and he was careful to not let his gaze linger too long; only taking a small glance until the dark brooding Uchiha had passed and his back was to the redhead. Gaara then quickly lifted his head and stared after him as the large man strode towards dancefloor and stage._

 _Madara was headed for the stage door but came to an abrupt stop in front of Sakura who was still going over music with the band._

 _Gaara's attention then focused purely on the sight of the two._

 _He watched as Sakura's whole body went stiff. She stood there rigid and frozen and then quickly turned her head away from the elder Uchiha as he continued to speak to her. Madara leaned in closer but Sakura didn't turn to face the man. Instead she began to scan the club beyond him, as if trying to will herself to distraction._

 _Gaara couldn't read Madara's posture but he could see Sakura's obvious distaste and increasing fear. He kept his eyes glued to their interaction as Sakura's wandering eyes roamed the club floor. Catching his green eyes with hers, she blanched._

 _Madara turned away from Sakura and glanced behind him quickly noting the stare of the redhead. Gaara didn't turn away and Madara's eyes narrowed at the man's boldness. The elder Uchiha then turned back to Sakura only to quickly walked past her and out the stage door._

 _Gaara stood there for a moment holding Sakura's eyes with his own. Even from this distance he could see the shaking in her hands and the distinct fear in her eyes._

 _Gaara stood up from the table and Sakura immediately turned away from his gaze and went to speak with the band leader. The man nodded at her and the pink-haired woman walked away hastily, disappearing through the stage door._

 _Gaara took a small step away from the table and felt a tug at his arm._

" _Gaara…"_

 _Naruto had been watching the entire display and was now regarding his friend with cautious concern._

" _I'll be right back, Naru," was all Gaara said. Without looking back, Gaara walked off toward the stage door to go look for Sakura._

 _The band began tuning up for another song just as Naruto watched Gaara walk across the dance floor and disappear through the door after Sakura. He had no idea what she was up to with Madara but with Kakashi's warning still hanging over them, Naruto knew it couldn't be good._

" _Women troubles?"_

 _Naruto looked back at Sasori and stood up, taking the pack of cigarettes from the table. "No idea," he said, taking out a smoke and lighting it._

" _Sasori, where did Gaara go?" Sasuke had walked up to the table and immediately turned his attention to the redhead, not bothering to acknowledge Naruto's presence._

" _Eh? The fuck should I know?" Sasori grumbled. "Why dun'cha ask his best buddy o'er 'ere?" Sasori jerked his thumb to his right just past where Sasuke was standing._

 _Sasuke turned and faced Naruto but didn't say a word to him. He just looked at the blond for a moment and lifted his brow at him._

 _Naruto let out a forced sigh and rolled his eyes. "He went through the stage door and said he'd be right back."_

 _Sasuke nodded at Naruto's words and eyed the blond's mouth as Naruto took another drag of his cigarette. Looking back into his blue eyes Sasuke's face tensed. "How are the plans going?"_

 _Naruto stared back and shrugged. "Looks good. I think tomorrow should run smooth. Tenten's had us running drills all week and I've been working with the new doorman, Genma." Naruto hadn't missed the way Sasuke had looked at him a moment ago but since the Uchiha had finally decided to speak to him, Naruto decided not to dwell on it._

" _What do y-"_

" _Sasori!"_

 _All three men looked up to the entrance balcony and saw Tenten staring back down at them. "Sorry, Sasuke but I need the redhead for a moment."_

 _Sasori turned back to Sasuke and then quickly got up from the table as soon as the Uchiha had given him the nod to go._

 _Naruto and Sasuke both watched as Sasori climbed the stairs and walked out of sight._

 _Bringing his attention back to Naruto, Sasuke continued, "What do you think of Genma running the door?"_

 _Leaning back against the table behind him, Naruto took a long drag from his smoke and looked directly at the Uchiha. "He's good. Gaara and I worked with him a few times over the years and he was always square with us. He's definitely sharper than the last guy you had running the door."_

" _Tch. That man was never my choice. He had come with my cousin Obito's recommendation and my father told me to add him to the payroll." Sasuke leaned back against the table behind him and the two men quietly regarded each other for a moment._

" _Madara didn't look too happy," Naruto said quietly and raised a brow at Sasuke. He held his stare at the man and wondered if Sasuke would open up to him about what he and the head of the clan had discussed earlier._

" _Those two cops knew him." Sasuke offered up and saw the question in Naruto's eyes before the blond had a chance to voice it. "I saw it in their eyes," Sasuke said as he looked over at the stage door and then back to Naruto. "It's not proof, but there was something." Sasuke hated that Naruto was making him feel on edge. Nervousness was not something Uchiha's were accustomed to feeling._

 _Sasuke had already decided that Naruto and Gaara would leave to try and access their underground network on the Tuesday after the opening of the club. Wanting to keep to his usual routine, Sasuke had instructed the two men to leave with Yamato during his weekly fish market run. He usually ended up close to the Lower East Side and would be able to drop them off without too much attention being drawn._

 _Now as he stood in front of Naruto, finally letting himself meet the blond man's eyes, Sasuke knew why he hadn't wanted to speak to him all week. Sure he was still pissed that Naruto had rebuffed his advances but more so, he couldn't shake the irritation of knowing the blond would soon be gone from his sights. The increasing pull of Naruto had Sasuke frustrated and angry. No one, not even his own brother, had pulled at Sasuke the way the blond now was and Sasuke was none too pleased that he still couldn't quite control his feelings for the dime-store hood he had yanked from the streets and taken to his bed. No, Sasuke wasn't at all looking forward to having Naruto gone and all his avoidance of the man that week had done nothing to quiet his growing unease._

 _Naruto lowered his eyes for a moment and then looked back up at his former lover. "Tuesday?" He watched as Sasuke nodded in agreement and then slowly stood away from the table._

 _Sasuke turned from Naruto and headed toward the stage. "Just make sure to return before next Friday night to open the club," Sasuke bit out as headed for the stage door, not looking back._

" _Whatever you say, Sasuke," Naruto mumbled low as he watched Sasuke leave._

 _Naruto stared at the closed door and took another hit from his smoke. He knew it wasn't going to be easy trying to find a balance with Sasuke. The man could be positively unreadable. Naruto took a deep breath and hoped Sasuke's earlier questions meant he was on speaking terms with him again. The hardened tension between him and Sasuke had been worse than the sexual tension from before. Of course Naruto had never missed the way Sasuke's eyes would linger on his body every so often but Naruto was having a hard enough time forcing his heart to not skip a beat whenever he heard the man's deep smooth voice. He had no energy left to fight the man's wandering eyes as well._

 _Of course he was still attracted to him, but no matter how Naruto's dick felt about Sasuke, he simply couldn't push away the memory of him setting him up with the Hyuga. He couldn't forget the way Sasuke's eyes had turned cold when he ordered Naruto to use his friendship with Hinata to get information for the clan. Sasuke's stubborn streak with Kakashi had been the final straw. Watching the young crime boss shut down all his reasoning out of some stupid sense of pride had been too much._

 _Naruto walked over to the table where the blueprints to the club still were lying and crushed out his cigarette in the nearby ashtray. Looking them over, he could see how big the situation really was. The club, Madara, the prospect of another hit along with the weight of the clan all resting on the shoulders of Uchiha Sasuke._

 _Naruto let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes remembering that it was only last year that Sasuke lost his brother, Itachi, to an explosion at the docks. Remembering the way the mobster had tensed at his bringing up his brother's name the morning they had bathed together had been all the proof he needed to know that the two had been close. Looking down at all the prints, Naruto mindlessly shuffled through the club plans, sorting through them as his thoughts picked away at his feelings for the Uchiha crime boss._

'Maybe I'm just expecting too much from him _,' Naruto thought. Looking at all the intricate details and contingency scenarios laid out before him had Naruto slowly shaking his head. All this for one man who already had enormous responsibilities placed on him. Tucking the prints under his arm and impatiently grabbing at the notes and schedules, Naruto felt a twist of guilt rise up in him. Sure he and Gaara would be leaving in four months for California his feelings for the man wouldn't matter a bit. But he still couldn't shake the feeling he was being a bit too hard on the young crime boss._

 _Naruto glanced again at the stage door. He knew he still couldn't forget the way the Uchiha had so easily dealt him away but he now thought, maybe he should cut the man a little slack._

 _Unable to stop himself, a small pull on his mouth began to lift. No matter how shitty the Uchiha was with him, Naruto knew just what it was that would make the hardened criminal break and crumble like glass. Naruto let his memories linger on the morning of their bath for a moment before he remembered himself and quickly shook the thoughts away._

 _Taking a deep sigh, Naruto straightened, gathered up all the paperwork and headed to the box office._

 _Gaara walked backstage and headed for the dressing rooms. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to say to Sakura once he found her but that look on her face had sent an old familiar twist through his gut that he couldn't stop himself from going after her. As memories of Mizuki filled his mind, Gaara's mind began to turn over just what the situation could be between Madara and Sakura. Itachi had been the one who had hired her. She had told both him and Naruto that night of the hit after they all been taken to Sasuke's suite. It was Itachi who had taken her in when she needed a job_.

 _So how could Madara be involved? Gaara's mind swam. If that Kakashi was right, then there was no way that Itachi would have allowed Madara to harass or intimidate one of his employees. He would have wanted to keep his business affairs as far away from Madara as possible._

 _Gaara stepped through the dressing room door and paused._ Itachi wasn't around anymore, _he thought. With Sasuke only recently being made aware of Madara's involvement, Gaara doubted if the young crime boss even cared whether or not Madara was paying too close attention to his staff._

" _Sakura?" Gaara knew she had to be somewhere. He'd lay wager that his childhood friend still needed a hiding place to think things out whenever she felt like the world was closing in around her. "Sakura."_

 _Way in the back of of the room where the racks of costumes were scattered about, he saw her sitting on the floor against the back wall with her legs pulled in; her arms folded and resting on her knees._

 _Pulling her knees in tighter, Sakura didn't look up as Gaara walked toward her; choosing instead to scan her eyes along the floor, keeping them low and away from her friend's close scrutiny._

" _What's going on, Sakura?" Gaara didn't explain himself. The look that had passed between them when she had been talking to Madara was unmistakable. Sakura was hiding something and she knew he had read it all in her face._

 _Watching his old friend fidget with her dress, his mind raced back to her odd behavior that morning in the hotel room. He looked down at her now on the floor of the dressing room and thought, how calm and collected she had been then. But now she was trembling and unable to look at him, just like she had been right after the shooting at the club. Where was the calm demeanor from that morning?_

" _Tell me."_

" _We're not children anymore, Gaara." Sakura didn't look up at him. "I know you think you saw something between Madara and me, but there's nothing going on between us." Sakura tucked her arms into her chest and looked up at the redhead. "Please, Gaara. I just want to be alone."_

 _Sakura lowered her head and dropped her eyes._

" _What does he have on you?" There was no doubt in Gaara's question. He knew she was lying and he also knew that if he pried at her long enough, she would give._

 _Sakura took a deep sigh, "Gaara…"_

" _What does he have on you?" Gaara's voice came out hard and he took a step closer to her. Looking down at her, Gaara could see the old fear Mizuki use to set in her back when they were at the orphanage. His eyes softened as he watched her arms slightly tremble. Sakura again pulled them in closer and Gaara knew she was trying to hide her tremors from his watchful gaze._

 _Sakura looked up her childhood friend and tried to keep her chest from hitching as she took in a deep breath at the sight of him looking down at her. Gaara's green eyes were just as piercing as they had been when they were little. That sharp look of his, always trying to get her to face her fears, and she always believing that one look from Gaara could chase all those same fears away. She knew he would keep pushing until she told him the truth and she shuddered at the thought. Dropping her eyes again, a deep sorrow wrapped around her as she realized the day had finally come for Gaara to learn the truth about her._

 _Pushing a nearby clothes rack off to the side, Gaara made a bit more space for the two of them. He was trying to wrestle with the resignation he saw in her eyes when she had looked up at him. He was beginning to get nervous and steeled himself for the worst. The more he thought about what Madara could have on her that would make her give him such a relinquished look, the more anxious he became._

" _You can trust me." Gaara finally breathed out in a lowered voice._

 _Sakura again turned her head up to her old friend. "I... I can't." Her eyes pleaded with him to not push but Gaara only pressed more._

" _You don't have to be afraid of him, Sakura. Whatever he has on you, I can-"_

" _No, Gaara, you can't." Sakura raised her voice but didn't take her eyes off him. "This isn't the orphanage. And that time, you and Naruto had to run for your lives! You can't possibly think you would be able to outrun the clan? Gaara, there is no happy ending here!"_

 _Sakura's green eyes flared as they held his gaze for a moment. The panic that rushed through Sakura had her almost yelling at the redhead. She tried to slow her breathing and keep her mind from imagining just what would befall him if he dared to take on Madara and the clan in her honor. Shaking the thoughts away, Sakura broke away from his stare and slowly stood up; dusting off her dress before raising her head to look at him._

 _Not being able to pull his gaze from hers, Gaara suddenly found himself face to face with Sakura and staring deeply into her bright green eyes. He blinked for a second wondering why his pulse had begun to race the moment the scent of her perfume had reached his senses._

 _Swallowing the strange feeling down, Gaara took a breath. "I'm not expecting any fairytale endings, Sakura." Gaara's voice was soft. "I'm only interested in helping my friend."_

 _They both stood there looking at one another. Sakura held her breath and Gaara tried to clear his head from the scent of her perfume._

 _By now he realized that whatever it was she ended up revealing, he was determined to hear her out. He had come through the last five years burdened with the pain of letting her down and now that he was again by her side, he had no intention of failing her a second time._

 _Gaara scanned her eyes and waited. He could see her trying to find the words but nothing would come._

 _Sakura's eyes softened and reddened. She struggled with the words that refused to come. How could she tell him? Pain filled her eyes and she desperately fought to hold back the tears though silently her heart was breaking._

 _Suddenly, Gaara took in a quick breath._

 _There it all was. Maybe it had been his distraction at Sakura's perfume or the gnawing at his gut, but whatever it was, it had kept him from seeing the look in her eyes until just now. His face slowly let go of its rigidity as he let out the long labored breath he had been holding. As his heart grew heavy, Gaara watched as a slow look of shame rose up in his dear friend's eyes._

 _Sakura's eyes darkened and a small grimace crept across her face. She immediately read Gaara's look and lowered her head; quickly darting her eyes away, not wanting him to see any deeper than he already had._

 _Letting out a gasp at the warm hand that was suddenly resting on her left cheek, Sakura's attention was pulled back up to her childhood friend and a confused, shocked look washed over her as her eyes locked onto Gaara's._

 _The feel of Gaara's hand on her cheek was electric. She stared wide-eyed at her old childhood friend and for a brief moment her heart skipped._

" _You can tell me anything, Sakura," Gaara said quietly. His eyes bore into hers and in that moment Gaara knew that whatever it was, he would never give up on her._

 _A loud sound came from behind Gaara and both he and Sakura looked toward the sound._

 _Tenten was standing at the dressing room door watching the two of them and she immediately blushed at the sight. "S-Sorry uh... Gaara, I was looking for…"_

 _Suddenly remembering himself, Gaara quickly pulled his hand back and Sakura watched as a deep flush washed across his and Tenten's face._

" _I'll uh… never mind," Tenten stammered and then turned on her heels and walked out of the room._

 _Gaara turned back to Sakura and took in a deep breath, steadying himself._

 _At first Sakura could only stare back at him. Between trying to wrap her head around the way Gaara had touched her and the look that had passed from Tenten to Gaara, Sakura's head began to spin._

 _She immediately noted the way her heart had pulsed at his touch but quickly shooed the feeling away. The look that had passed between Gaara and Tenten served as a great reminder that it was no good pining away for Gaara like she did when she was a child. The closed off boy she once knew was now a man with walls so thick, it would take more than dynamite to bust through them._

 _The soft click of the dressing room door closing, echoed and Sakura sighed. She had seen the look in Tenten's eyes and though it had pierced her, Sakura could only silently accept that Gaara would definitely be better off with a woman like Tenten than someone like herself._

 _Turning from Gaara, Sakura began to head for the door._

" _Sakura. I'm not letting you leave until you tell me." Gaara tried to ignore the strange feeling Tenten's interruption has caused. He and Sakura had only been talking but that look on Tenten's face had immediately made him feel exposed. It was a totally unfamiliar emotion and one he was not at all comfortable with._

 _Scanning his face, Sakura knew there would bo no leaving this room until she told him everything._

 _Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath._

" _I work for him." Sakura opened her eyes but did not meet Gaara's gaze. "For Madara." In a barely audible voice she went on. "Sometimes he invites special businessmen to the club and-"_

" _Don't." Gaara held up a hand to her. He didn't want to make her continue. He also didn't think he could bare to hear her say the words. The earlier shame on her face was enough for him to piece together what she was getting at and Gaara wasn't up for listening to it._

" _I'm so sorry Gaara," Sakura whispered._

 _Gaara's brows creased as he looked at her standing in front of him and offering an apology. "Sakura."_

 _Lifting her eyes to Gaara's deep green ones, Sakura took in a breath and held it, waiting for his judgement._

" _You never need to apologize to me."_

 _He took a step toward her and froze. This close to her, the smell of her perfume hit him again. He blinked the distraction away and found himself again, gazing into her darkened green eyes._

 _Gaara could tell she was waiting for him to scold her and he wondered how she could ever think he would dare pass judgement on her._

 _Sakura parted her lips to say something but shook her head slightly and closed her mouth, not knowing what words were appropriate._

 _When the air stilled, Gaara seemed to be able to count the seconds that he stood watching his old childhood friend. His mind tried to connect the scent of her with the color of her eyes and Gaara wasn't understanding why he was having such a hard time pushing those crazy thoughts away. Stepping back to try and distance himself from the pull of her, Gaara's mind cleared a bit and he immediately latched onto the thought that he could help her in some way._

" _I can-"_

" _No, Gaara, please." Sakura's eyes dimmed. "Please don't make me go through losing you all over again." Her breath hitched in surprise that she had let herself utter the words. Knowing she wouldn't be able to keep her tears or her shaking at bay for much longer, Sakura turned again from Gaara and headed out the dressing room door._

* * *

It was around five thirty Tuesday morning when Yamato had finally dropped off Gaara and Naruto on the outskirts of the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Saturday night's club opening had gone off without a hitch and even though Sasuke had returned to dismissing Naruto's presence, rather than being relieved to be leaving the club for a few days, the blond was feeling a bit apprehensive.

He knew that while he and Gaara were gone, Sasuke was planning to keep a low profile at Pierrepont Place, since he would be two good men down. He also knew that Tenten and Yamato would be more than sufficient at keeping Sasuke safe while they were gone. But no matter how much he tried, Naruto couldn't shake the feeling that he should have stayed in Brooklyn and let Gaara meet up with Shika in the L.E.S. by himself.

After their brief talk Friday, Sasuke had gone back to pretending Naruto wasn't around, but that didn't mean that the blond had missed any of the side glances or the way Sasuke would watch him from the back of the club while smoking a cigarette. Naruto tried to tell himself that he was done with silly fantasies about the crime boss and he was. Yet still, somewhere deep inside himself, that old protective nature of his kept trying to rise to the surface.

After coming to the realization that Sasuke was under an enormous amount of pressure, Naruto found it easier to forgive the man for trying to keep his distance as well as keep things professional. And it wasn't like Naruto didn't appreciate it a little. After all, the less he had to talk to Sasuke the less his stomach would flutter every time he heard the man's damn voice.

So he had just accepted the way Sasuke would try to look past him whenever they were around others or the way he would side-step his direct questions. The more people thought there was no longer anything going on between him and the Uchiha, the better. Still, he couldn't deny taking a little pleasure in the way Sasuke's eyes would follow him around when he didn't think anyone was watching.

Maybe it was the mobster's passing glances or the respectful distance he was keeping that had Naruto recently feeling like he shouldn't leave the man's side for too long. Whatever the feeling was, it had the blond eager to find his old LES buddies, get what information he could from them, and get back to The Tokyo Palace sooner rather than later.

He and Gaara were keeping a steady line toward the East River. Walking in the cool of the early morning, had Naruto's mind disobediently playing with the memories of him and Sasuke during that endless morning they had spent together. Somehow being so far from Brooklyn made him feel it was safe to allow his thoughts to drift where they wanted. There was no doubt in Naruto's mind that if he let himself indulge in the memories of that morning while being in such close proximity of the Uchiha, there would be little he could to do resist him. At least at this distance, he didn't have to worry about flushed cheeks and easily readable eyes.

"This way." Gaara led them both down Delancey Street and toward the docks. It felt like forever since the two of them had run these streets with their old friends.

Naruto kept pace with Gaara and shoved his hands into the pockets of his corduroys. "You think they might still be keeping to the docks?"

"Maybe." Gaara felt good to be back in his old clothes and walking the streets with Naruto. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he had missed this. Just him and Naruto, together like the old times; strolling through the streets looking for a mark or just following wherever the day would take them. "Shika always said it was the quickest place to disappear into and get lost."

Both Naruto and Gaara knew their old friend Shikamaru would never let himself give up such a prime piece of real estate. Especially when there were so many other street gangs itching for some leg room in the city.

Naruto nodded at the redhead and did his best to keep his mind off the memories of him and Sasuke. He scanned down the street and saw all the pushcart vendors already setting up with the rising of the sun. Soon it would be broad daylight and once that set in, it would be much harder to find the ole gang. Once they all set out into the city, there was no telling where they would try and score. Sometimes they would take the El into the city and sometimes they would find their way into Bowery. Shika usually set everyone off in different directions unless he knew of a big score somewheres. But before they all went out into the city they could usually be found hanging out somewhere along the docks.

By the time they found themselves turning down Montgomery and then hooking a left on Cherry it was nearing six thirty. They were getting close to the Chinatown YMCA Cornerstone and they quickly picked up the pace as they past Clinton Street. It wasn't likely that the Chinese would give them too much trouble since, on this side of the river, they were all oriental in the eyes of most New Yorkers. Trouble caused around this area usually ended up with both sides getting busted. So the Chinese and the Japanese usually gave each other a wide berth. You stay on your side of the street and we'll stay on ours. But if a chance meeting happened down some dark alley with no witnesses, all bets were off.

The two friends, high-tailed it down Jefferson Street to the South Street Seaport. The docks were all run down and weren't used much anymore but it was still one of Shika's favorite night-time hideaways. There was enough old debris from junked ships that he and the gang could hold up with a bonfire until two am without so much as flatfoot catching on.

"We gotta go way in the back." Naruto pointed past the main dock to where a few old boat hulls were littering the abandoned dock.

"I remember." Gaara quipped back.

Naruto let out a chuckle and put both his hands in the air. "Sorry, man! I wasn't trying to insult your memory." Naruto smirked at his friend. "Lead the way." He held out his arm to the redhead and Gaara scoffed at the gesture.

As the two of them headed deeper into the wastes of the dock, Gaara scolded himself silently for his irritability at Naruto. He was genuinely happy to be wandering around their old stomping grounds but no matter how hard he tried to focus on the moment at hand, his mind kept mulling over just what he was going to do about Sakura. She had told him she didn't want his help but he knew there was no way he'd be able to let it go. ' _No,'_ his mind said, ' _she had said please don't make me go through losing you all over again.'_ Just then, Gaara tripped over some old anchor cables that were strewn about the dock. Naruto didn't so much as utter a snicker at his clumsiness and he was glad. These thoughts about Sakura hadn't so much as put him in an irritable mood as that she had set his mind in into a spin that he was unable to slow or stop.

As they finally found their way into the farthest abandoned hull, Gaara stopped just short of the opening and looked around. "Did you hear that?"

Naruto stopped beside him and glanced around.

"Just what th'fuck are you two doing stinking up my turf?"

Naruto and Gaara whipped around and caught the outline of a young man blocking out the morning sun. They looked up at him, standing just atop a nearby shed.

"It was the stench of this place that drew our attention," Naruto sassed back. "How the fuck else would we know how to find you?"

A huge grin flashed on Naruto's face as the man jumped down from the shed and walked toward them both.

"Fuck you, Naru." Out of the sun stepped a young man, no older than Gaara. Holding out his hand to Naruto, a sarcastic smile swept his face that made the blond erupt in laughter.

"It's fucking great to see you, Shika!" The two friends grabbed each others hand and pulled in for a half embrace.

Slapping Naruto on the back, Shika then turned his attention to Gaara and held out his hand. "We've missed ya both 'round here. Good to see ya, Red."

Gaara gave Shika a firm handshake and was grateful for the man's restraint. Last thing the redhead was in the mood for was a hard hug and slap on the back.

"What th'fuck are you two doin' here?" Shika said as he lit a smoke and tossed the pack to the blond.

Naruto caught it, took one and tossed the pack to Gaara. "On the hunt for some information and wanted to see if you've heard anything." Naruto lit his cigarette and sat down on a large coiled cable stack. "And," he continued, "We come bearing gifts." Naruto reached into his cords, pulled out a fold of bills and tossed the money to Shika.

Shika caught the cash one-handed and flicked his thumb through it. "Holy fuck, Naru." He glanced up at his old friend. "So the rumors about you and the Uchiha are true?"

Naruto's face immediately blushed. He quickly looked down at his boots as he took a drag off his smoke and tried to take in a calm breath. "Me and the redhead have been working for the clan for about a month now." He lifted his eyes to Shika and hoped his old friend would spare him questions about the nature of his and Sasuke's relationship.

Shika regarded the blond and then turned back to look at Gaara. "Wow. Moved on up to the big leagues, huh?" Shika took a long drag and nodded at Naruto. "It's good to see you guys." He looked back again at Gaara and nodded to him as well. "Come on. Let's get somewhere out of sight. Holding this bankroll out in public, makes me nervous."

"Thank you for inviting me to meet with you, Sasuke." Kakashi took a seat on the red velvet couch across from the young Uchiha. Leaning back into the cushion, he watch as Sasuke poured them each a drink from the whiskey decanter.

Sasuke had sent Juugo to give Kakashi a message the day before; inviting the man to the club for a talk. If someone had told him just a few weeks ago, he'd one day invite the one-eyed man to his private suite for a drink, Sasuke might have actually laughed out loud.

He still wasn't liking the white-haired idiot all that much, but he was a man who understood the value of usefulness. And Kakashi was useful. As long as the man continued to serve his interests, Sasuke saw no reason to not play nice with the wannabe cop.

Feeling irritable at Naruto's absence, Sasuke poured himself a larger drink than normal. It had only been a few hours but already the Uchiha was frustrated at not knowing exactly where the blond was. He had learned from Gaara that they would most likely be sticking to the Lower East Side unless their old connections had moved farther into Manhattan. Sasuke had agreed with the redhead that a day or two might be needed to find their old friends, but now he thought he should have told the redhead to forget any overnight stay in the L.E.S. and just come on back if they weren't able to locate them.

Handing a glass to Kakashi and then taking his own, the Uchiha lifted his glass to the one-eyed man. "To the Yankees winning the series."

A small gleam came to Kakashi's eyes as he marked the rather large portion of whiskey the young Uchiha had poured himself. Nodding his head to the man, he raised his glass in return and drank to the familiar toast.

"Tell me, Kakashi, just what kind of relationship did you have with my brother?" Sasuke said after a long swallow of booze. "I wasn't aware my brother had any friends." Especially one outside of the clan."

An air of authority washed over the Uchiha as he spoke. Sasuke didn't need to beat around the bush or be coy with the man. They were both intelligent men and knew this conversation was about an exchange of information and not a social visit.

"Hmm… let me see," Kakashi drawled out. "I believe I first met your brother back when he was helping your father run numbers and you were still in diapers." Kakashi examined the crystal in his hands.

Sasuke let out a small snort at the comment. "I didn't invite you here to speculate on what age I was potty trained at, Kakashi."

Kakashi let out a soft laugh and held up his hand. "Now, now I was only trying to lighten the mood, Sasuke." He nodded to the drink in the mobster's hand. "You just seem a little bent on hitting it hard today. Thought I'd try and keep things light, is all."

Sasuke leveled his eyes at the white-haired man. "I don't need coddling, Kakashi. I asked you here to find out what you know and how you know my brother." Sasuke hated being so transparent. The man in front of him was just as good as he was at reading people and given Sasuke's current mood, the man's abilities were starting to piss the Uchiha off.

Kakashi nodded to the crime boss in understanding. He took another small sip of whiskey and continued.

"Well, your brother would run the bookie slips for your dad all over this neighborhood and one day, I came across him being stopped by a couple of flat-foots down by a hundredth and eighth." Kakashi examined his glass, took another sip and then leaned back onto the couch. "I told the cops he was my kid brother coming back from a grocery delivery and I was sent to look for him because he was late."

Sasuke watched Kakashi closely and could see no lie in the man's eye. The man still had his fedora pulled down over his left eye giving Sasuke only one to try and read for the truth. "You covered for him? Why?"

Kakashi considered the question. "I don't know." He took the last swig of the booze in his glass and set it on the table in front of him. "I came around the corner and knew who he was. Nothing stays a secret for long on the streets." He leaned back again and looked directly at Sasuke. "I never hesitated and I have no reason why to give you."

Sasuke nodded at the man but couldn't shake the feeling Kakashi was holding something back.

"The cops took my word and let him go. I walked him to your father's office, you know the one he used to have on Jamaica?"

Sasuke nodded at the memory.

"The walk there I told him about the cop routes and how he could avoid them better. It was a long walk so we had time to go over all the different paths he could take from then on. He said thanks and I left him at corner of Jamaica and hundred and twenty-fifth."

Kakashi leaned forward and poured himself another drink.

"And just like that, you two became friends?" Sasuke couldn't help keeping the suspicion from his voice.

Kakashi lifted his eye at Sasuke and raised a brow at the young Uchiha's tone. "Actually, I didn't see him again for another four years." Kakashi smirked at the memory and Sasuke marked it.

"What?" Sasuke knew Kakashi was holding back and was getting impatient for answers.

"Your brother became very adept in staying out of sight from then on, that it took another four years before I saw him again." Kakashi raised his glass and lifted it at the Uchiha brother. After a quick drink he said, "I had honestly thought he vanished."

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk at Kakashi's words. "Hmmph. He was very adept at disappearing and staying out of sight when he wanted." A soft pang went through Sasuke at the memory of his brothers ability to seemingly vanish into thin air. Clearing his throat, he reached for the glass Kakashi had poured for him. "You could have told me this a long time ago."

Kakashi let out a soft deep chuckle. "You never gave me the chance, Sasuke. I couldn't risk telling you in front of others that I was close with your brother, and I never got the chance to speak to you alone."

"Because you suspected Madara." Sasuke took a slow drink and set the glass down.

"Not me. Itachi." The older man took a quick swig of the whiskey and set his glass down on the table too. He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out his smokes; offering one to the Uchiha first. "We had talked briefly about his suspicions that there was something going on within the clan but it was never anything specific." Kakashi leaned in further and lit Sasuke's cigarette for him.

Lighting one for himself he tossed the matches onto the table and blew out a long drag. "Your brother didn't like talking about business. He would say he was suspicious of the clan or thinking about getting out altogether but never about the detailed goings on with the club or the clan."

Sasuke took a hit of his smoke and nodded at Kakashi's words. _Still_ , he thought to himself, _just what were the two of them talking about if it wasn't business_? He took another drink and considered whether or not to ask the question that was gnawing at him. He looked at the white-haired man and noticed the way Kakashi was staring right back at him, as if reading the question in the young Uchiha's eyes. Sasuke shook the question from his mind and decided that for the moment, he would focus on the matter at hand.

"Tell me Kakashi," Sasuke said, pulling another hit from his cig. "What do _you_ think Madara is after?"

 _To be continued..._

 **A/N** : There it is! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and let me say that some juicy bits are coming in the next chapter! We have Naru & Gaara with the gang and Sasuke just might get another visitor or two while his favorite blond is away. Things are starting to heat up in the crime world and the larger picture of just what the hell is going on gets a bit clearer in the next chapter. OH! and let's not forget a lil smut for all of you out there like me, who enjoy a little spice every now and then. Thanks so much for reading and many blessings to you all! 3


	10. Chapter 10: Safe harbor

**Warnings** : Some light yaoi **BoyXBoy** situations, implied BDSM, other sexual situations, lots of cussing and drinking. If you don't like any of these things, please move along and read a different fic. Maybe one of KizuKatana's amazing works! Her lemons are DA BEST!

 **Author's Note** : So I tried to get this out sooner but I really wanted to stuff this chapter full of juicy goodies for all of you kind enough to keep sticking around & waiting for the next update! At close to 12k, this still packs a punch but only has part one of the flashback I promised. The second half will come next chapter and so will some more yummy goodies to ponder! I hope you like this chapter and enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Also A HUGE SPECIAL SHOUT OUT to the-nation-of-procrasti on Tumblr who did some amazing artwork based on this story!  post/139104335697/im-reading-bound-to-you-by-tandyhard-at-a3o and also here  post/143175219872/gripping-a-tommy-gun-in-her-hands-a-small I am so touched and incredibly overjoyed by these awesome drawings! Thank you, luv! Muwah! **AND SO MUCH HUGS & SNUGGLES TO MY BAE, KIZU! Thanks for all your help, luv and for being such a wonderful source of encouragement! LOVE YOU! 3**

 **Disclaimer** : I do not nor never will own Naruto and all its characters. Kishi is the man.

* * *

 _Sasuke took a hit of his smoke while picking up his glass and nodding at Kakashi's words. Still, he thought to himself, just what were the two of them talking about if it wasn't business? He took another drink and considered whether or not to ask the question that was gnawing at him. He looked at the white-haired man and noticed the way Kakashi was staring right back at him, as if reading the question in the young Uchiha's eyes. Sasuke shook the question from his mind and decided that for the moment, he would focus on the matter at hand._

 _"_ _Tell me Kakashi," Sasuke said, pulling another hit from his cig. "What do you_ _think Madara is after?"_

Chapter 10: Safe harbor

Kakashi rolled his cigarette between his fingers thoughtfully before taking another drag. "The Uchiha and Hyuga deal next month comes to mind." Leveling his eye on Sasuke, he took a slow hit of his cigarette.

Sasuke's expression remained unchanged. He supposed that someone with one leg in the underworld and one in the police department wouldn't be completely ignorant of all that happens in the crime world, but the deal between the Uchiha and the Hyuga wasn't exactly normal street gossip. Sasuke drank slowly, keeping his eyes on Kakashi. "You see quite a bit with only one eye," Sasuke said.

Kakashi couldn't help but give in to a sly grin.

Immediately, the Uchiha leaned back and placed his arm across the back of the red velvet couch. "You think he took out Itachi and now plans to take me out for a bigger piece of the pie?"

"I think next month's deal stands to make him more money than the clan has ever seen. Your brother wanted out. You were close with your brother. With both of you out of the way, his cut gets bigger and he lessens his liabilities."

Sasuke could see the angle Kakashi was making. "Other than… my brother's warning and your theories, do you have any proof?" Sasuke hadn't meant to swallow around his words but the thought of his brother reaching out to Kakashi gave him pause. _Why did Itachi trust Kakashi? And why was he always trying to protect me?_ Sasuke thought. Feeling his anger rising, Sasuke finished off his glass before reaching for the carafe and pouring himself more whiskey.

Kakashi snuffed out his cigarette and pulled out his pack for another, offering one to Sasuke as well. It had been some time since he had had to share a story with someone. He almost smirked at the memory but quickly remembered Sasuke's presence and thought better of it. "Maybe if I tell you about the night I got your brother's call." He quickly lit the cigarette Sasuke pulled out and then his own. "Once we're on the same page, things might get a little clearer," he said as he shook the match out. "Maybe for both of us."

Nodding at the white-haired man across from him, Sasuke considered his words. He still felt this odd pull in his gut that the man wasn't showing all his cards. But, he thought, should he expect him to? Feeling Kakashi's eyes on him, Sasuke took a casual drink and then a slow pull of his smoke. Raising a brow, Sasuke signaled to the older man to continue.

* * *

Kakashi silently smoked his cigarette and thought back to the last time he had heard Itachi's voice.

 _That morning had been like any other, running meaningless errands and casually ignoring all the racist jokes floating around him whenever he was at the station. Kakashi didn't care. His only interest was that he would be seeing Itachi later that night. They had only briefly talked about his suspicions of the clan a few days prior and though it had been hard to get the Uchiha to open up about his doubts, Kakashi had found it even harder to resist the younger man's intense pull whenever they were alone. Once in Itachi's private suite at the club, he usually found it hard to focus long on anything other than the dark pools of the Uchiha's eyes. So he hadn't fought hard to continue the conversation last week, once Itachi had moved closer and threaded his fingers through Kakashi's hair._

 _He casually tended to his work around the station while thinking about meeting up with Itachi after his shift. He tried to insist it upon himself that this time, he would not be led astray from finding out just what the hell was going on with the clan and Itachi's suspicions._

 _It was still mid-summer and even though the police station was hotter than a whore's crack, Kakashi never complained. He would always leisurely make his way around desks to deliver messages and supplies, always keeping to himself. After years as a lackey for the department, he didn't get long, sneering stares anymore, but no amount of hard work or dedication ever quelled the racist jabs or the snickering he heard after he left any room._

 _Of course, there were a few cops that were nice to him. And there was O'Connor, the man who first brought Kakashi in to help around the station and act as a translator for the department. Those few officers helped keep Kakashi relatively sane while he went about his work. But if hard pressed to tell the truth, the one-eyed man couldn't have cared less who liked him and who didn't. Grabbing the files from his makeshift desk, Kakashi set about finishing his errand boy workload, thinking only of his later meeting with Itachi._

"I was supposed to meet up with your brother that night to talk about what was going on with the clan." Kakashi kept his eye on the young Uchiha. "It was unusual for him to offer up conversation relating to clan business. So when he told me he wanted my opinion on some doubts he was having, I told him I would meet him at the club as soon as I could get away."

Sasuke leveled his gaze at man in front of him. "You told me and Naruto that he called you that night."

"He did." Kakashi held Sasuke's dark eyes with his one and nodded slightly.

 _Kakashi never liked meeting Itachi with the stink of the police department all over him. That night he had headed home for a quick shower and a change of clothes when his phone had rung._

" _Oiy."_

" _Kashi."_

" _Itachi? I'm changing now and should be at the club within the hour."_

" _I have to cancel tonight. Something has come up and I need to head to the docks to meet a shipment." There was a long pause and Kakashi waited. He had immediately noted the odd tone of Itachi's voice but knew if he pressed, the Uchiha would do what he always did when he wasn't ready to share information, and simply end the call abruptly._

" _Kashi, I need you to do something for me." A sharp jolt went through Kakashi._

" _What's wrong? I can hear it in your voice. Tell me." Itachi never asked for favors. Hell, the man never asked for anything. Kakashi held his breath knowing that Itachi would either tell him or hang up the phone after offering up some kind of vague excuse._

 _A soft sigh came through the phone's head piece and Kakashi knew the Uchiha was stalling._

"Before I had a chance to meet him that night, he called me at my apartment and asked me to do something for him." Kakashi snuffed out his cigarette and downed the remaining whiskey from his glass.

"Get a message to me," Sasuke finished as he watched Kakashi pour himself another drink.

Kakashi nodded at Sasuke's words. "He said he had to cancel because he had to meet a shipment at the docks." Kakashi offered to pour Sasuke another glass but the Uchiha waved him off. Setting the decanter down, the white-haired man leaned back against the couch and took a small sip of his drink. "Naturally, I asked him what was wrong. Getting a call from him asking me for a favor, wasn't exactly everyday Itachi conversation."

Sasuke wondered briefly just what was their everyday conversation, but decided that topic might be better left alone for the moment.

"He said he was headed to Greenwood in an hour and that if anything happened, to get word to you that your uncle was making his move and he was going to Greenwood to try and stop him."

"That doesn't make any sense." Sasuke's eye's narrowed. "We don't control any docks in Greenwood. All our shipments come through Red Hook." Sasuke leaned forward and set his glass on the table. "What else did he say? Did he mention why he was going to Greenwood instead of Red hook?"

" _Kashi, I need you to get to Sasuke and let him know I'm meeting a shipment at Greenwood tonight. Tell him that Madara is making his move and I'm going to Greenwood to try and stop him."_

" _Itachi, you can't take on Madara this way." A shot of panic went through him. "I don't understand. I know you've had doubts about the clan but you never said it was Madara! Itachi... you can't go alone. I'm going with you."_

" _No," Itachi cut in, "I need you to stay and look out for Sasuke." Itachi's voice was deep and resolved. "I need someone I can trust to stay here for him. Get the message to him if anything should happen."_

 _A heavy silence fell between them._

" _You don't think you're going to make it back." Kakashi didn't want Itachi's answer but he couldn't stop himself from voicing his fear._

Kakashi swirled the booze in his glass and considered things for a moment. "Itachi was not one to mince words." He looked up at Sasuke and held his stare. "So why tell me he was waiting for a shipment and then right after that he was headed there to try and stop his uncle?"

Sasuke closed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair. Goddamn his brother. ' _Goddamn him for never trusting me enough to confide in me.'_ "He was meeting a shipment at a dock we don't control and something about that shipment was to help him stop Madara from seizing control of the clan." Opening his eyes, he stared at the one-eyed man in front of him. _Just who the hell was Kakashi to his brother?_ "Does that sound about right?"

Sasuke couldn't keep the bite from his words and Kakashi had caught the inflection in the young Uchiha's tone.

Keeping his eyes leveled at the Uchiha. He took another sip of the whiskey and went on. "Itachi would mention he had doubts or that he was thinking of moving you and your parents back to Japan but he would never elaborate on why."

Pulling his own cigarettes from his vest pocket, Sasuke felt his temper start to cool as he thought back to all the conversations with his brother about his distaste for the drug business and his desire to return to Japan. Leaning forward he offered a cig to Kakashi.

After lighting their smokes, Sasuke took a long drag and leaned back against the velvet couch. Keeping his sharp eyes on the wannabe cop, Sasuke finally spoke. "What else did he tell you?"

* * *

It would be well past noon by the time Kiba and Choji would return with enough beer to keep them all cool from the early summer heat.

Right after Naruto and Gaara's initial arrival, Shika had led them deeper into the docks and through several rotted out boat hulls until they came to a wide opening where they could all relax in the shade without fear of being seen. Once they got through all the hellos, Shika had sent Choji and Kiba off and had told Naruto it would be best to wait until they were all together before starting in on business.

"No sense in repeating yourself. And there's no telling what the others might know and never thought to say anything before now. So might as well wait." Shika laid back flat on a nearby pallet, crossed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

Gaara and Naruto exchanged a look. Knowing they could let themselves relax, they followed Shika's lead and lay back against the piles of rope and dry pallets. While Gaara still never completely relaxed around anyone, Naruto leaned his head back and let his mind drift.

Naruto knew he could trust in the protection of Shika's crew. He had paperboys looking out for an extra twentyfive cents a week along with Shino, Kiba and Choji keeping their eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. Naruto took in a deep breath of the sea air and tried to will his anxiousness away. ' _Sasuke's fine,'_ he told himself; his brows immediately creasing at his inability to keep from worrying about the Uchiha. Trying to get comfortable, Naruto threaded his hands behind his head, stretched and arched his back. Before he could stop himself, the memory of the last time he had been stretched out this way came flashing through his mind and he quickly brought his arms back down and sat up.

Shika opened one eye and squinted at the blond. "Feeling edgy, Naru? This place is covered. I got Shino waiting for the others at the end of the dock and kid on the corner of Jefferson."

Gaara glanced over at Naruto's flushed cheeks and turned back toward the sound of sea crashing against the dock. If he hadn't been so irritated by his own restless mind, he might have managed an eye roll at his best friend.

"Hehe… uh just wondering where I can take a leak." Naruto rubbed the back of his head and shot Shika a weak smile as he slowly stood up.

Eying the blond for a moment, Shika then closed his eyes again. "If you follow the heavy anchor chain all the way around, you'll come to an old water closet. It smells pretty bad, but it's better than shittin' on the dock."

"Thanks." Naruto looked over at Gaara but saw him still looking the other way. He knew the redhead had been in a mood all morning and figured he was better off leaving the guy alone for awhile.

As he made his way through the old shipyard junk and rotting fishing nets, Naruto tried to focus on the sound of the sea. He didn't want to think about Sasuke right now. Stepping over more rusted chains, he tried to remind himself that the mob boss was fine and no amount of worrying was going to help.

He followed the large anchor chain all the way past the big empty warehouse, until he was within twenty feet from the water closet. He scrunched up his nose at the stench and was briefly thankful he didn't have to actually go. Of course it was only a matter time before he would need to, but for now he settled on hooking a right and heading to the rear of the warehouse.

He scanned the dock, making sure there was no one else around before sitting down to lean against the metal frame. He was pulling out his cigarettes and glancing around, when his eyes settled on a familiar sight and he froze. Several old, metal sailboat pulleys had been dumped just beyond the anchor chain he had been following. His heart skipped at the sight.

He quickly sat down, lit his smoke and ran a hand through his hair. It seemed no matter what he did or where he went he just wasn't able to shake the memory of his time with Sasuke. He glanced one more time at the old pulleys and then turned and faced the ocean, trying to will his mind to stop its current train of thought.

Taking a long drag and looking out beyond the wood piles and discarded nets to the sea, he wondered just what it was about Sasuke that had him so messed up. Of course there was the mind-blowing sex, but that should have faded by now, right? Why did he still get butterflies whenever he overheard his voice? Naruto rolled his eyes when he realized he was sitting on the dock wistfully thinking about the Uchiha like some lovelorn schoolgirl.

The past month had been crazy and the few times he had allowed himself to think about the morning he had spent with the mobster, he had been alone in his room, jerking off to the memory of all the things Sasuke had done to him. Things Naruto had never even considered doing with a woman but had somehow given himself over completely to do with a man. A man named Uchiha Sasuke.

He had always been grateful to Gaara for never asking him to explain his attraction to Sasuke. Gaara had just accepted it and left Naruto to process it all on his own. Now faced with Shika and the gang, Naruto knew they wouldn't be ones to hold back their questions about his new found sexuality. But the truth was, he still wasn't sure why himself. Since Gaara hadn't pushed, Naruto simply avoided thinking too hard about it. Instead he'd only focus on the heat of his and Sasuke's tryst and never the why of it.

Shikamaru's earlier comment on the rumors about him and Sasuke filled him with apprehension. With Kiba and Choji only an hour or less from returning, he knew they'd want to know the truth and wouldn't be satisfied with an, _I don't really know why_ sort of answer. Naruto tugged hard on his cigarette and thought it over.

Otoha had been a spur of the moment thing as well. When he had leaned in to kiss her on the cheek goodbye, he had suddenly felt her hand gently press against his back, pulling him in closer. When he looked at her and seen no resistance in her eyes, he turned his head slightly and kissed her on the lips instead. When she didn't pull back he deepened the kiss and felt her hand grip his shirt, pulling him to her until their bodies were flushed against each other. A few minutes later she had led him into her bedroom and they had ended up making love all through the night.

It had been his first experience with a girl and she had been a great teacher. Naruto smiled at the memory of how gentle she had been and how she had let him explore every inch of her body, allowing him to caress each contour with wide-eyed wonder and youthful eagerness.

He had never really considered sex with her before then. Not that he had been blind to how beautiful she was. It was just something he hadn't dwelled on.

Konan had been an entirely different story.

He had met her back when he and Gaara were still running with Shika's gang. She sometimes ran with them but had an intelligence about her that rivaled Shika. Sometimes they'd butt heads about marks or hits and she'd go off on her own, determined to get the better score and prove all the boys wrong. Naruto would always end up laughing at her. Not because he thought she was a silly girl or from lack of respect, but more because he liked her boldness. Her sharp wit would sometimes throw the guys off. Naru would always laugh at their blank expressions and then flash the purple-haired girl a broad smile. Sometimes she would smile back at him and the two would stand there laughing together at the clueless boys. Except for Shikamaru, of course. He would usually let out an irritated huff and mumble something about girls being troublesome under his breath before walking off on his own.

Naruto let out a soft chuckle at the memory and lit another cigarette. He thought about how back then, he would increasingly wonder about Konan. Sometimes he would find himself staring at her lips or wondering if her purple hair was soft to touch. Then one day he had finally convinced himself that those kind of thoughts didn't do him any good since she obviously didn't pay much attention to him. Until one night after the guys had gone off toward the Brooklyn Bridge looking for some scrap, she came to him and asked if he wanted to share a few beers with her. She had pilfered six while making her way through Chinatown and he hadn't gone with the others to the bridge due to a sprained ankle. That night, Naruto ended up sharing a few beers and a few kisses with the purple-haired girl and from that moment on, the two of them had been almost inseparable.

Smirking around his cigarette as he looked out at the sea, Naruto remembered how hot and heavy their romance had been. _If you could even call it a romance,_ Naruto thought, and his smirk quickly faded. Sure they had started out almost frantic for each other but Naruto could never get any closer to Konan than that. It was his first lesson in understanding that real intimacy had nothing to do with sex. When they had made out the night they had shared the stolen beers, Konan had told him that she had wanted him since the first time she saw him. She had broken their kiss to softly nibble down his neck and had murmured the words against his heated flesh. Naruto had instantly gotten hard and let out a breathy sigh as one of her hands had found its way to the front of his corduroys and began to softly palm his erection. He immediately dug both his hands into her hair and pulled her face to his, kissing her feverishly as she softly laughed into his mouth.

Naruto let out a long drag of his smoke as the memories flooded his mind. When they finally had sex a few nights later, it was explosive. She had dragged him to one of her many hideouts and had begun yanking off his shirt the minute the door to the abandoned churchyard shed had closed.

Now sitting on the dock, he ran a hand through his hair and could already feel the salt from the sea in its strands. Naruto sighed and took in a shuddered breath. He remembered how thrilling it had been with Konan. His only experience before her was Otoha. So when Konan had pulled down his pants, dropped to her knees and took his dick straight into her mouth, Naruto had let out a, "Oh my God, holy fuck!" To which Konan began to laugh at, sending vibrations throughout his cock that had caused him to roll back his eyes and moan. When he felt her mouth sucking his dick even harder as one of her hands reached up and began to stroke his shaft, he couldn't hold back anymore and came hard. When he heard her let out a moan as she continued to suck him off, Naruto slid to his knees, took her in his arms and ravenously kissed her. Tasting himself on her lips had sent him over the edge. He pulled and tugged at her clothes while she giggled and laughed at his eagerness. That night she rode him every which way they could think of. She denied him nothing and they came together several times before the dawn and exhaustion had finally brought an end to their escapades.

Now, sitting alone on the dock, Naruto could see how it had only been about the sex with Konan. They would sneak away and fuck like rabbits whenever the opportunity would present itself, but no amount of pillow talk or after sex spooning would get her to open up. Looking back at it now, Naruto realized that the only time she had ever mentioned anything about herself was the time she had finally seen the scars on his back. It had been the fourth or fifth time they had snuck off together. After they had both came several times, he had sat up to look for his pants. He was usually careful about keeping his back away from people. After the slackjawed looks and endless questions he had gotten from Shikamaru and the gang when they had taken a summer swim in the East River, Naruto quickly learned that his scars made people more uncomfortable than the attention or questions made him. So when he had turned to reach for his pants and heard Konan let out a gasp, his heart had sank to his stomach. Slowly he had turned around to face her, and met her wide, shocked eyes with his own soft blue ones.

A high-pitched whistle brought Naruto out of his thoughts and back into the present. Quickly, he got up and walked out from behind the warehouse. It had been awhile since hearing Shika's signal, but it was unmistakable and Naru immediately knew the man was looking for him.

"Oiy. We thought you got lost." Shikamaru eyed the blond and then nodded at Naruto to toss him his smokes.

Naruto tossed him the cigarettes and smiled, "Nah, just felt like taking some time."

Shika lit his smoke and handed the pack back. "You over here staring out into the sea and Red is back over there as moody as fuck." He took a hard drag of his cigarette and squinted his eyes at his old friend. "That Uchiha sure has got you two all messed up."

Flicking his cig away and shoving his hands into his pockets, Naruto considered Shika for a moment. "What exactly have you heard?"

The seasoned street hood took in a deep breath and sighed. "I had a feeling you wouldn't want to bring it up in front of everyone."

Naruto quickly looked away and back out to the sea, trying to keep his reddened face from his friend. "News sure does travel far."

"I won't lie to you and say I'm not curious about the two of you and how you went from Konan to a string of girls to Uchiha Sasuke." Shika took another hit off his cig and Naruto finally turned back to face him. "But I'll respect your choice not to talk about it. I can make the guys keep their traps shut and not pester you with questions or give you a ribbing for it."

"Something tells me you'll have a hard time keeping Kiba quiet," Naruto smirked and watched as Shika smiled and nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah well, he might get off one or two but you ain't gotta answer him and I'll check him on it if he pushes."

"Thanks, man." Naruto tilted his head and bit his lip. "If I told you…," he began and Shika paused at his words and met his eyes. "If I said, I don't know why, would that make any sense?"

The dark-haired hood took a long drag and shrugged his shoulders. "Do these kind of things ever really make sense? You found yourself attracted to a man and Red, as far as we know, doesn't seem to be interested in men or women." Shika looked up at the sky and let out another sigh. "Maybe some things just aren't meant to make sense. When we first heard the rumor we all had scratched our heads over it." Shika looked back at Naruto. "Kiba kept saying there was no way it was true but once we got word that you and Gaara were working for the Uchiha, I kinda figured there had to be some truth to you and..."

Naruto nodded and scanned the dock thoughtfully.

"I've had a while to think about it and the way I figure it is, you, me, Red and the guys, we've all sort've been tossed away." Shika looked out to the sea and Naruto looked back at Shika, watching him smoke and squint his eyes from the glare off the water. "Maybe it's not about men or women. Maybe it's about whoever makes you feel like you belong somewhere." He opened his mouth to say more but shook his head. "I'm not saying _I'd_ find the guy attractive…" He turned back around and shot a smirk at the blond. "But I'm saying I understand. And none of the guys have a problem with it either. I mean we were all sort of shocked for a while but you're still part of the gang and we don't turn our backs on one of our own."

Smiling, Naruto shot a fist into Shika's arm. "Since when did you get all fucking soft?"

"Fuck you, Uzumaki," he shot back and both of them laughed off the tension and awkwardness. "C'mon. The beer Choji and Kiba brought back s'gettin' warm and I have a feeling I'm gonna wanna be good and blitzed for whatever shit you and Red are about to throw down."

"Heh, yeah, well that makes two of us." Naruto followed his old friend back around the dock and back toward the covered hideout.

"It's so strange you coming here like this, cuz just a week ago, you'll never guess who was here looking for you."

Naruto's head jerked up and he looked at Shika.

Reading the blond's eyes as easily as ever, he let out a chuckle and nodded his head. "Yup. That purple-haired vixen you liked so much was just here asking if I'd seen you lately and if I knew how to reach you."

"Did she say why?"

"Did that woman ever say much of anything other than to question my marks and try tell me how to run my gang?"

Naruto let out a laugh at Shika's tone. Even after all this time, Konan still irked him. "Did she at least tell you how I could contact her if you did end up finding me?"

Shika took a pull off his smoke and then flicked it away. "If you're looking to pick up where the two of you left off, I should tell you that word on the street is, she's hooked up with some ginger from Brooklyn."

"She's in Brooklyn?" Naruto couldn't believe she had been so close this whole time and he they never crossed paths once.

"No idea. I only heard she and this ginger fella were looking to make a play in Brooklyn. I thought the rumor was for shit cuz who the hell goes into Brooklyn to take on the Uchiha, the Hyuga _and_ Orochimaru?"

Naruto shot Shika a look and they both answered together, "Konan."

Shaking his head Naruto wondered just what the hell that woman had gotten herself into all these years.

"She told me that if I ever ran into you, to let you know you could leave word for her at the old church shed. She said she has a kid who will be checking it everyday for messages. Leave her word where to meet you and she'll be there."

Naruto raised both his eyebrows. "Everyday? Sounds urgent."

"That's exactly what I thought. And now here you are, telling me you're working for the Uchiha clan and needing some information." Shika paused just before entering the old boat hulls that would lead them to the others. "Something big is going down. Everyone on the street can feel it and to tell you the truth I'd rather stay as far away as possible from whatever this all is."

Naruto nodded and looked down. He didn't want to bring Shika into all the clan's dirty dealings if he could help it. "I understand. Hey, I'm only looking for info," he said and looked back up at his friend. "I wouldn't wanna drag you and the guys into this mess."

"I know you wouldn't. But like I said before, we don't turn our backs on one of our own." Shika leveled eyes at Naruto. "If you need us, we're here for you. Whatever's going down, we got your back. You and the redhead."

"Thanks, Shika. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that."

"Fucking aye," he answered and led Naruto into the hull and to where everyone was waiting.

* * *

Sasuke stared back at Kakashi.

Not only had his brother asked this man to get a warning to him but he had also told Kakashi that he needed someone he trusted to stay and look out for him? That same gnawing had again begun to eat at Sasuke. _Just who the fuck was Kakashi to his brother?_ His eyes narrowed at the one-eyed man and then like a bolt, realization finally hit him. When the obviousness of it struck him, he almost laughed out loud at his blindness. The reason he had missed it was because he had never even considered his brother's exploits until now. It's not that he thought his brother was an innocent but he had just assumed when Itachi had started hiring girl after girl for the club, and even going out of his way to pay for Sakura's release from that cotton mill, that his brother simply had a fondness for young pretty girls.

Sasuke let out a small huff and Kakashi immediately arched a brow at the sound.

A deep sigh escaped the white-haired man's lips. "It was never my intention to have you find out." Kakashi smoked his cigarette as he kept his eye on the Uchiha. "It had always seemed more appropriate to deliver the message without resorting to such… impropriety." Slowly, Kakashi reached up, lifted his fedora off his head, ran his hand through his wild, white hair and gave a slight head bow toward Sasuke.

Taking the apology for what it was, Sasuke nodded back and examined Kakashi's left eye. He had of course heard the rumors about how the man had received the injury but he had never actually seen the wound for himself. Pulling his gaze away from the man's dead white eye, Sasuke examined the whiskey in his glass. "I thank you for your discretion, Kakashi, but I have to ask, is there anything else you're not telling me?"

Kakashi took a sip of his drink and kept his eyes locked on the young crime boss. "I believe you now know the entirety of what I know. I won't insult you by suggesting you've needed to be taken care of this past year, but I will say that I am still bound by Itachi's last words to me. Should you need anything, you can come to me."

Leaning back further into the plush velvet cushions of the couch, Sasuke considered the man's words.

"Actually there is something."

Kakashi leaned back as well and drank off the last of the booze in his glass. "Naruto sent word to me before he left. He's down at the South Street Seaport," Kakashi said after swallowing down the drink. "I have a man keeping an eye on things there. He's been instructed to keep his distance and send updates each day that he's away."

Sasuke felt immediate relief and irritation at Kakashi's words. Of course his brother would never waste his time with a fool, but the older man's sharpness reminded him too much of Itachi and the memory of the old rivalry he had had with this brother flared. "You don't miss a thing, do you Kakashi?" Sasuke bit out.

Grinding out his cig, Kakashi looked up at the Uchiha and held out his hands. "Oiy, oiy… My apologies, Sasuke, but he came to me. And with the rumors about you and Naruto going around, along with your brother's personal request of me, I couldn't refuse." Kakashi set his empty glass on the table. "Keeping an eye on the blond was always my intention."

"I trust Naruto."

"As do I," answered Kakashi. "His face doesn't know how to lie. But there's no telling who he's meeting with down by the docks."

Sasuke eyed the cigarette in his hand and then leaned forward and crushed it out. "Thank you for meeting with me, Kakashi, but it's getting late and I have another appointment scheduled."

"Of course." Kakashi stood up and put his hat back on. "Thank you for your hospitality Uchiha-sama. I will make sure to send you whatever updates I receive from my man at the docks." Bowing slightly, Kakashi smiled slyly at the young Uchiha, turned and headed for the suite door.

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something but Kakashi was out the door and gone before he could find the words.

Standing alone in his suite, Sasuke glanced around. The private room had belonged to his brother before Sasuke took it over. The couches, the bed, everything had been replaced so Sasuke wouldn't have to to be reminded of him.

"Except this." The young Uchiha reached out a hand and stepped forward. Slowly, he ran his fingers along the smooth, dark wood of the hand-carved shoji door that separated the sitting area from the bedroom. Only this remained from when Itachi had occupied the suite. Sasuke hadn't had the strength to have it removed. He still remembered how his brother had lectured him regarding its history. Small Uchiha Clan symbols graced the mahogany shoji, along with Shinto prayers and clan names from the Uchiha's long celebrated history in Japan.

" _We were a proud clan, Otouto. Statesmen. Warriors. Noble and wise. The Uchiha was and is better than engaging in common thievery and drug trafficking."_

Sasuke let his hand drop away from the door and he took a step back, examining the large wood piece more fully. Pushing both hands into his pants pockets, he thought over all that he had learned today. Aside from the fact that his brother left word for him to beware of his Uncle, which should have been more pressing, the fact that Itachi had left word via his lover, Kakashi, had Sasuke's head spinning and his jaw clenching.

The expanse of wood in front of him loomed, signifying all that he never knew of his brother. Like the names carved into the shoji, his brother had been just as mysterious and beyond his reach. He had never considered his relationship with his brother anything other than close. Even when Itachi had been busy with running things at the club, he always managed to make time for Sasuke. But now the truth of it was that Itachi had always kept him at an arm's length, even while simultaneously closely watching over him.

Silently, Sasuke found himself wishing he had known about his brother's involvement with Kakashi. Creasing his brows as he gazed through the carved openings of the wood divider to his bed beyond, he thought back to all the lovers he had brought to his bed. Drifting through the memories, his mind had no choice but to settle onto the last man he had in his private suite and a soft sigh escaped his lips as he pictured the blond. Without hesitation he had told Kakashi that he trusted Naruto. Sasuke had never trusted anyone other than Itachi and yet there was no doubt in his mind that he could trust his former lover completely.

Walking back to the sitting area, Sasuke took a seat on the couch facing the mahogany door and reached for his cigarettes. Taking in a slow drag, Sasuke poured himself a stiff drink and let his mind wander. He pushed back against the velvet cushions and wondered what his brother would have thought of Naruto. It was obvious what Itachi had seen in Kakashi. His brother respected intelligence and loyalty and both traits ran deep in the one-eyed man. Would Itachi have seen those traits in Naruto the way Sasuke could see them?

"Tsk." Closing his eyes, he quietly cursed himself. He liked the blond. He liked him more than he wanted to like him and finally getting himself to admit it, left a bitter taste in his mouth. He opened his eyes and stared at his bed on the other side of the shoji. Lifting his gaze he smiled at the red satin drapes that thoroughly hid the object bolted to the ceiling directly over his bed. That was another little addition Sasuke had added to the suite when he took it over. Taking a long sip of whiskey he remembered when Naruto had questioned him about it the morning they they showered and... how the blond had ended up never quite breaking completely.

* * *

Standing next to the couch wearing only a towel, Naruto had just finished calling the redhead at the hotel when Sasuke had walked out naked from bathroom.

 _Once the blond set down the phone earpiece, Sasuke came up behind him. Snaking one arm around Naruto's waist and his other hand going straight to the blond's neck, Sasuke tugged the blond against him and pulled his neck back taut. He softly kissed the exposed tan flesh of Naruto's neck and felt proud pleasure as the moan the young street hood let out, vibrated against his lips._

 _He moved his arm from around Naruto's waist, and deftly undid the towel. As the towel fell away, Naruto immediately arched against Sasuke and slowly writhed his ass against the hardness pressing against him from behind._

 _Sasuke lowered his hand from the blond's waist and took hold of Naruto's hardening cock. Slowly he began to stroke him as he continued sucking and biting his neck._

" _Fuck, Sasuke… what are you doing to me?" Naruto let out a long, breathy whine and reached behind him. He took hold of Sasuke's ass and grabbed. Digging his fingers into the firm flesh, he yanked the Uchiha harder against him while at the same time, clawing and gripping each of the mounds hard._

" _Whatever you want me to do to you, Naruto," Sasuke answered and the blond let out a deep groan in reply._

 _He shoved Sasuke's hand away from his dick and turned around to face him. Grabbing the mobster's dark locks with both his hands, he crushed their mouths together. Sasuke let out a soft grunt as Naruto pushed himself harder against him. As soon as Sasuke gripped the blond's hips to try and slow the grinding down, Naruto began walking the Uchiha back. Suddenly, Sasuke found himself aggressively shoved back against the wall and a short breath of air escaped his lungs from the impact._

 _God, he loved the blond's forcefulness. Sasuke felt his dick harden and flex as Naruto pulled his hands off his hips and pinned them over Sasuke's head. Using his whole body to grind the Uchiha into the wall, Naruto broke their kiss and hungrily kissed and sucked at pale neck in front of him._

 _Focused only on what Naruto was doing to him, Sasuke was having trouble trying to remember the plans he had for blond. The blue-eyed hood's vigor had Sasuke's eyes rolling back from the pleasure at being manhandled this way._

 _He never had lovers who were aggressive with him. He had broken each and every one of them so effortlessly that it all had lost interest. Yet here was Naruto, unafraid of Sasuke and unrelenting in his insatiableness. The exploration of his sexuality had the blond almost frantic for the all the new sensations and tastes. As Naruto gripped his wrists harder, Sasuke moaned from the friction as each of their hardened lengths , slick with precum, rubbed and pushed against the other._

" _Naruto. Wait." Sasuke pulled against Naruto's grip on his wrists._

 _Naruto let out a low growl and bucked his whole body harshly against him. With his hot breath panting against Sasuke's ivory soft cheek, Naruto spoke, "I don't wanna wait. I want to fuck you right now."_

 _A thrill shot through Sasuke at Naruto's words. He had never let any of his lovers take him. Technically, until Sasuke, neither had Naruto, he thought, and another delicious spike went through him._

 _The thought of Naruto pounding into him with the same passion and ferocity he was now using to pin him against the wall, made Sasuke moan with pleasure._

 _Naruto lifted his head and looked into Sasuke's eyes. Holding him tight against the wall, he kissed Sasuke gently and slowed his writhing against him while keeping his eyes open and locked onto the fiery black ones in front of him. Staring back into the blue depths of Naruto's, Sasuke sighed as the blond's tongue licked his lower lip and softly pushed its way into his mouth._

 _Sasuke's heart was now pounding as the excitement of getting Naruto into his bed again, filled him. Gazing into his blue eyes and easily marking the desire and the defiance in them had Sasuke painfully hard at the thought of getting a chance at having his way with the young man. A small smirk formed on this mouth as Naruto continued to kiss him and the blond immediately narrowed his eyes at Sasuke and pulled back._

" _Mmmm… What?" Naruto's voice was deep and husky as he pulled back to smile at the sly look Sasuke was now wearing._

" _There's something I want to show you," Sasuke breathed out. "But it's over there." Flicking his eyes toward his bed he saw Naruto turn his head and then heard him take in a quick breath._

 _Naruto turned back to Sasuke, and lifted his brows at him. "You gonna show me what that thing is?"_

 _Sasuke steeled his eyes at his lover. "Do you still want me to?"_

 _Naruto eased his grip on the Uchiha's wrists. Letting them go, his blue eyes followed as his hands traced along the smooth contours of Sasuke's chest before letting them rest on his pale narrow hips. Sasuke felt Naruto's coarse fingers lightly play atop his ab muscles and he watched as Naruto stared at his body, thinking over his offer._

 _Suddenly, Naruto lifted his gaze; his blue eyes ablaze and dark. Leaning into him, Naruto brushed his lips against the Uchiha's pale pink ones. "I want you to," he said and pulled back to look straight into Sasuke's eyes._

" _Come with me." Sasuke took one of Naruto's hands and led him to the bed. Once they were both situated on the center of the mattress, Sasuke moved closer and fisted one of his hands into Naruto's hair, yanking his head back before kissing him harshly. Naruto moaned loudly into his mouth and tried to reach for Sasuke's hair but the mobster grabbed his wrist and held it tight._

 _Breaking their kiss, Sasuke looked at Naruto. "Do you trust me?"_

 _Naruto blinked at the words. "Okay, now I'm getting nervous. Just what the hell are you-"_

 _Still gripping Naruto's hair, Sasuke pulled the blond, more gently this time, in for another kiss. Languidly, Sasuke's tongue delved deep into Naruto's mouth. Gently he coaxed and teased with his tongue, making the blond sigh and arch further into his grip._

" _Yes," Naruto breathed into Sasuke's mouth. "Yes…"_

 _Releasing Naruto's hair and wrist, Sasuke moved back against the headboard and reached behind it._

 _The sound of a metallic click, caused Naruto to crease his brows at Sasuke. "What…"_

 _Sasuke took hold of the lever hidden behind the headboard and began to crank it counter-clockwise. Immediately Naruto raised his head at the sound and noticed the large metal object above Sasuke's bed was slowly being lowered by the rope it was hanging from. It stopped directly above his head and another metallic click sounded._

" _What is-"_

" _It's an old sailboat pulley," Sasuke cut in. "I had it and the rope installed when I took over the suite." Quickly pushing away the memory of why he moved into the private suite, Sasuke reached farther behind the headboard, pulled out a small bundle of rope and moved to join Naruto at the center of the bed._

 _Naruto had been kneeling on the bed and resting his ass against the heels of his feet. But he quickly lifted himself up onto his knees, to get a closer look that the metal contraption. It was a rounded edged square with a large slot going through and through the side of it. On the bottom of it was a metal hook and inside the slot, was another metal piece that looked like an inverted wheel. Rather than being rounded, the wheel had a deep groove around it. "I don't under-"_

" _Like this." Sasuke took the rope that was in his hand and threaded it into the slit. "The rope rests on the groove like this." Sasuke pulled the length of rope through and handed it to Naruto. "I had this rope shipped in from Japan. Feel it."_

 _Taking the rope from Sasuke, Naruto quietly looked it over and then turned to face the Uchiha. His blue eyes were wide and his mouth was open. He took a moment, then blinked himself clear and spoke. "You want to… use_ this… _with_ me _?"_

 _Sasuke crawled closer to the blond and slid his hand behind Naruto's neck, pulling him in for a deep kiss. "Will you let me?" Sasuke said against his mouth and felt Naruto's whole body shiver in response. Reaching around Naruto's waist, he pulled him tight against his body. Taking the rope from his hand, he tossed it next to him and then turned his attention back to the blond, kissing him and pushing him down onto the bed._

* * *

"Sasuke!"

A sharp voice brought him out of his daze and he turned his head toward the entryway of his suite.

Getting up from the couch, Sasuke unlocked and opened the door just as a loud knocking began.

"I knocked but there was no answer," Juugo said as a relieved look washed across his face.

"Is it time?" Sasuke turned from Juugo and walked back to the sitting area.

"Yes, Sasuke."

After he placed his half empty glass on the table, Sasuke walked to his closet and pulled out the suit he had pressed and ready.

"It'll only take me a few minutes to shower and change. Have Yamato and Tenten meet me in the front lobby in thirty minutes."

"Yes, Sasuke." Juugo turned and left and Sasuke stood for a moment staring at his now empty bed. Undoing his cufflinks and vest, he wondered if he'd be able to continue working with Naruto, given the way things were between the two of them. Even just trying to talk to the blond, had proven too much for Sasuke. He couldn't seem to let go of his desire to bring the blond back to his bed and try again at peeling away all those fascinating layers of his.

Sasuke wanted him. A quiet rush of air left his mouth at the thought. Yes, he wanted Naruto and there was no denying it now. He wanted him on his crew, in his bed, in his…

Sasuke bit down on his thoughts.

 _But for how long?_ Naruto and Gaara had their sights set on California. Sasuke let out a snort of air at the naivete of the two men. Did they really think they would ever be able to completely escape crime and corruption by simply running away to the Sunshine State?

Sasuke undid his shirt and stepped toward the washroom. All these conflicting thoughts needed to be saved for another time. There was currently more pressing business to attend to. He peeled off his white cotton shirt and draped it across the back of the velvet couch. Undoing his slacks, Sasuke glanced again at his bed and set his jaw. Maybe he was being too hard on the blond. After all, Naruto did save his life and sign on with the clan, however limited his employment would be. He furrowed his brows remembering that come October, both Naruto and the redhead would be gone and on their way to California. _But still bearing my mark,_ he thought, and a small gleam came to his eyes. Yes, maybe he should ease up on his new but temporary crew member. If only to make the next few months more tolerable. A smirk formed on Sasuke's mouth as he walked into bathroom and closed the door behind him.

* * *

"And she came back!" Kiba laughed and spit out some of the beer he was drinking. "After you and Red left for Brooklyn, Fuu came around two weeks later asking for ya!" Shaking his head, Kiba wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and swigged his beer. "How you went from that hot piece to-"

"Kiba." Shika warned.

"What?" Kiba shot an indignant look to him and then looked over at Naruto. "Hey man, I know you don't wanna talk about it but, c'mon! I mean, I just can't wrap my head 'round it!"

"Shut it, Keeb!" Shika snapped.

"That's just cuz your head's too fucking big, Keebs," Choji mumbled through the Cracker Jacks he was stuffing his face with.

Thankfully the heat of the day and the buzz from the beer, hid the light blush that came to Naruto's cheeks at Kiba's words. He was looking down and tugging on his cigarette. "It's alright, Shika. I kinda figured you wouldn't be able to shut 'im up," he said quietly.

"Hey, Naru, listen-"

"No, Kiba, you listen." Naruto looked up at his old friend. "I don't know, okay? I really don't fucking know." He took another quick hit of his smoke and then flicked it away. A heavy sigh left his lungs as he ran his hand through his hair and with his beer in the other hand, Naruto pointed it at Kiba. "You think you can't wrap _your_ head around it? I don't even know where to begin to try and explain it to you." Naruto looked away and then took a drink of his beer.

"Naru." Gaara said quietly and everyone looked his way. "You don't have to talk about it. Kiba's just being Kiba."

"Sorry, Naru, I didn't mean nothin'." Kiba gave the blond a weak smile and lowered his head, staring at his beer.

"Keeb, ya dumb fuck," Shika muttered.

"Hey, it's cool, Shika." Naruto looked back at Kiba and bit his lower lip. "Look, Keebs," he said, after a moment. "I didn't mean to snap at'cha. It's just, I honestly don't know."

Kiba looked up and stared back at this friend.

"You guys are like my family. But family or not, it's really weird talking to you all about this." Naruto let out a nervous chuckle and the rest of the gang followed suit, feeling some relief from the building tension.

"You like him." Everyone whipped their heads around to look at Shino. He had been sitting quietly drinking his beer and was now looking straight at the blond. "It's as simple as that."

A faint smiled came to Naruto's face and he nodded slightly back at him. "Yeah," he said in a low voice.

They all sat for a moment, drinking in silence.

"Well," Shika spoke up, breaking the quiet. "Now that that shit's done with, what're you and Red looking for? Just info?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to know if you've heard any juicy gossip about the Uchiha clan."

Kiba opened his mouth and Naruto shut him down fast. "That's _not_ about me." Naruto shot a sharp look at the dark haired man and Kiba snapped his trap shut in an instant.

Shika took drag of his smoke and thought it over. "Anything specific? Cuz we've all been hearing rumors of some big deal that might be going down with the Uchiha and the Hyuga."

Naruto thought back to Sasuke's meeting with Neji. He remembered several references made to some kind of project that was in the works. Something about a shipment that was scheduled to arrive in the next month or two. Neither of the men had elaborated and with Sasuke's silent treatment during the following days, Naruto never had a chance to question the Uchiha about it.

"Any ideas or rumors about what kinda deal it might be?" Naruto pushed.

Shika narrowed his eyes a bit at the blond. "I ain't heard nothing specific, but," he paused and held Naruto's eyes with his. "I have been noticing some weird shit going on over near Chinatown."

"Yeah?" Naru leaned forward. "Like what?"

Dropping his cig to the ground, Shika crushed it out with his boot. "Ya know those two opium dens over on Pell? Well about a month ago they just up and closed up shop."

Shikamaru took a drink from his beer and Naruto waited. He knew better than to rush him. His old friend liked to take his time with things. Whether hitting a mark or telling a story, Shika always took his time. It was one of the traits Naru liked about him. Sometimes people would think Shika was uninterested or bored but in truth, it was that the man was just meticulous in his actions. He didn't like to waste his time or his words and considering the racket they were in, Naruto respected him all the more for it.

"I noticed the place was empty for a while but the Chinese were being tight-lipped about it. Then about a week ago, I saw an Uchiha walking out of one of them when Shino and I were coming back from Uptown.

"Do you know which Uchiha?" Naruto looked over to Gaara and they exchanged a confused look.

"I didn't at first, but after I saw him drive away, I hung around and bribed some grocery delivery kid that I saw coming out a few minutes after. The kid said the guy's name was Obito." Shikamaru looked from Naru back to Gaara as the two men exchanged another look. "A few days later, the dens reopened."

The redhead stared at Naruto. They knew they were both thinking the same thing. The shipment coming in was most likely opium.

"We haven't met him yet," Naruto said to Gaara before he had a chance to ask. "The only thing I know about him is what Sasuke told me. Obito was the one who recommended Sasuke's previous doorman. Ya know the one you and I told him to get rid of."

Gaara nodded and Shika spoke up. "Why get rid of him?"

Naruto let out a huff and finished the last of his beer. "The guy wasn't too sharp. We ran a few scenarios with the security crew and he kept missing things." Naruto reached for another beer and opened it. After a quick swallow he went on. "Sasuke told me later that the doorman had come with a recommendation from his cousin, Obito and that Sasuke's father had told him to hire him."

Naruto shot another look over at Gaara and raised his brows at the redhead. "Yeah," Gaara said in a low voice after a moment.

"What?" Shika looked to the blond and the redhead, quizzically.

"The hit at The Tokyo Palace," Naruto answered.

"That was a hit?" Shika replied.

"You were there?" Kiba broke in, with wide eyes.

"Yeah," Naruto answered to both. He took out a cigarette and lit it. "I was there and it was definitely a hit on Sasuke." Naruto blew out a long drag. "And we think it was an inside job."

Shika stared back at the blond and then glanced at Gaara.

"Holy fuck." Kiba was wide-eyed and looking around at everyone. "This is big guys! If there's some big deal going down and at the same time, this Obito guy is trying to take out Sasuke, then we could be looking at a full takeover of the Uchiha clan!" He looked nervously at Gaara and then back to Naru.

"Well, that's why we're here." Naruto held Shika's eyes with his own.

"You don't think it's just Obito," Shikamaru said matter of factly. "And you think this could be connected to his brother's death as well."

Naruto nodded at his old friend and continued smoking his cigarette.

"Holy fuck. This could end up being an all out clan war!" Kiba ran his hands through his hair.

"Have you heard anything else, Shika? Anything at all?" Naruto reached for another beer and tried to fight against the anxious feeling in his stomach. Saying everything out loud like this made it all the more real and reminded him that Sasuke was indeed in danger. Naruto's stomach tensed. Being this far away from the Uchiha wasn't sitting well with him at all.

Narrowing his eyes a bit, Shika took a long drag of his smoke. "Why don't you ask me what you want to ask me. It might be a little easier if we just lay all the cards on the table."

Not being able to keep a small smile from his mouth, Naruto nodded at his friend. "Still don't miss a thing, do ya Shika?" Taking a breath and another drink, Naruto decided not to beat around the bush anymore. "I wanna know if you've heard anything about Uchiha Madara. The night Itachi died, he left a message for his brother. A warning that his Uncle Madara was making his move and Itachi was going to try and stop him."

"Holy fuck. Holy fuck." Kiba was now standing up and pacing.

"Calm down, Keebs." Shika said absentmindedly. "Naruto, are you sure Madara took out Itachi? Do you have any proof?"

Naruto glanced around at all the guys. "Well, that's why I'm here. Itachi left the warning with some guy named, Kakashi-"

"Hey, we know that guy! Don't we Shika?" Choji said with his mouth full of the potato chips he was now working on.

"You know Kakashi?" Naruto was surprised the guy had come into the radar of his old gang.

"Yeah, we know him. He runs with the police but he's not one of them, ya know? Tipped us off a few months back about some inspection here at the docks. One morning I woke up and this one-eyed, white-haired guy was standing over me. Nearly shit myself." Shikamaru took a long drag of his smoke. "He told me the cops were gonna be searching the area and it would probably be a good idea if we found another hangout for a few days." He grabbed another beer and looked over at Kiba. "Kiba, sit the fuck down. You're making me nervous."

Kiba stopped and looked back at everyone watching him. "I can't help it. Uchiha Madara, guys!" Kiba shot a finger at the blond and looked over at his gang leader. "He said, Madara, Shika!" He then turned to face Naruto. "Are you seriously thinking of taking on Madara? For this Sasuke guy? Geez, Naru! Do you even know what the fuck you're getting into?"

"Sit down, Kiba." Shino tossed the anxious guy a beer and Kiba caught it with one hand. "Let Naru have his say."

Kiba sat down and opened his beer. "Sorry, Naru."

"It's alright." The blond tossed his pack of cigarettes to Gaara and both friends took in each other's look. They had joined the clan with both eyes wide open, but now faced with the reality of the situation and the way the gang was reacting, they were now both feeling the pressure.

"Tell them," Gaara said quietly after catching the smokes in his hand.

After taking a quick look at the faces staring back at him, waiting for his next word, Naruto settled his gaze on Shika. "Before heading to the docks, Itachi called Kakashi. He told him to get a warning to Sasuke and then died in an explosion at the docks later that night. Then a month ago, there was a hit on Sasuke at The Palace. Gaara and I happened to be there and sorta got... caught up in it." He shot the redhead a quick glance and Gaara rolled his eyes back at him. "After some looking into," Naru looked away and went on, "we figured it had to be an inside job. The day after the botched hit, Kakashi came to see Sasuke to give him his brother's warning and here we are. I wanted to come talk to you right away, but there was so much going on that this was my first chance to meet up and find out if you all knew anything."

"Why wait almost a year after Itachi died to give Sasuke the warning?" Shika furrowed his brow and gave Naruto a suspicious look.

The blond rolled his eyes. "Sasuke doesn't like Kakashi. He kept throwing him out every time the guy would come around. Kakashi told me and Gaara he didn't trust anyone to get word to Sasuke."

"But he trusted _you_." Shika and Naruto stared at each other.

"Well," Naruto started and rubbed the back of his head. "Me and Gaara did save the Uchiha's life that night. Maybe that's why."

"Holy fuck, Naru." Kiba shook his head and tugged anxiously at his cig. He let out a shaky drag and lifted his eyes at the blond. "You and Red are gonna help Uchiha Sasuke take on Uchiha Madara?"

"Looks like it," Naruto answered and again, Kiba ran his hand through his hair.

"You know what I think?" Shikamaru spoke up. "I think you should head over to the church shed."

Naruto's eyes widened as Shika nodded slightly back at him.

"What church shed?" Gaara threw a look at the blond.

"Turns out, a purple-haired girl we know is rumored to be looking to make a play in Brooklyn," Naruto answered and raised his eyebrows at Gaara. "She left word with Shika for me to contact her at one of our old hideaways. And if she's seriously gonna try to take on the Uchiha, the Hyuga _and_ Orochimaru, then chances are she might know something we don't."

"A new player in Brooklyn," Gaara said flatly and Naru smirked back at him.

"Yeah." The two best friends exchanged a knowing look.

"What?" Shika caught their expressions.

Naruto faced his old gang leader and leveled his eyes at him. "The Akatsuki."

"Shit." Shika let out a huff of breath and closed his eyes for a moment. "I knew it. I knew that woman was gonna be troublesome."

"Wait, guys. What's the Akatsuki?" Kiba looked at the redhead to the blond and back to Shika. "Did I miss something?"

Shikamaru faced Choji, Shino and Kiba. "Remember that booze hit near the Passaic? The word on the street was there was this new player in town and they were called the Akatsuki." He turned back to the blond. "I didn't piece it together cuz the word was the booze was lifted by a couple of guys."

"I think I should head over to the church shed." Naruto stood up and stretched. "I don't know how long it will take for a message to reach her so it's better if I get on it."

"Hold up, Naru." Shika stood up and out of the shade. The sun was bearing down on them all, causing him to squint his eyes. "Shino said there was some egg hanging out by the end of the doc. He weren't sure if it was a flattie or a dick so you might wanna wait 'til dark."

"It's alright. That's Kakashi's guy."

"He knows you're here?" Shika tried to keep concern from his voice but Naru picked up on it.

"He's how I get updates to Sasuke. He's not interested in what you've got going on down here." Naruto nudged the man with his elbow and Shika nodded back at him.

"That's a pretty short leash, if you ask me." The gang leader looked directly the blond and lifted an eyebrow at him. "But I guess now that you're clan for life, it's to be expected."

"Well, actually…" Naruto lifted his hand and began rubbing the back of his neck again. "Me and Red are only with the clan until October."

"Wait. What?" Kiba stepped up to the two men. "Clan is a lifetime deal! You can't leave once you're in!"

"October." Shika eyed the blond. "Your eighteenth birthday. How'd you negotiate that?"

Naruto noticed the leery expression on Shika's face and let out a sigh. "Well, he said he needed help and was willing to make exceptions in order to find and stop whoever was trying to bump him off. We already made plans to leave New York when Sasuke made us the offer."

"Still have your heart set on California, eh Naru?" Naruto looked over at Shino and nodded.

"Wow, guys. This is some goofy shit." Kiba was looking from Naruto to Gaara. "I can't believe he's gonna let you go. Hey! Did you have to get the tattoo?"

Naruto clenched his jaw. "Yeah, we got the tattoo."

"Wow. Can I see it?"

"Kiba." Shika shot the wild-haired guy another look of warning. "You've seen the tattoo before, it's nothing new. The Uchiha fan symbol, remember?"

"Keebs, man, let it go," Choji called over to him. "You're driving us all crazy."

"Yeah, but I ain't ever seen one on someone we _know_!" Kiba looked excitedly at Naruto. "C'mon, man, please? I swear I'll lay off ya. I just never got to see one up close."

"For fucks sake, Keebs!" Shika was losing his patience.

Holding up a hand to everyone, Naruto let out a low chuckle and smiled. "Guys! It's alright. I'll show ya this once, Kiba so get a good fucking look at it cuz if you ever ask again, I'll knock your block clean off."

Kiba smiled, pleased with himself and looked around at everyone. His eyes fell on Gaara and the redhead shot him a death stare. "Woah there, Red! I know better! I ain't asking you!"

The guys all erupted in laughter and Naruto flicked away his cigarette and yanked his shirt off.

The guys had all seen his scars years ago. They knew by now not to question them, so Naru was a bit surprised by how quiet they all got once he turned to let them all see the tattoo on the back of his right shoulder.

"Hey, guys. It's really not that fascinating." Naruto let out a nervous laugh, wondering what they were all thinking that was keeping them so quiet.

"It's definitely the Uchiha fan but-"

"But what, Keebs?" Naruto's voice became more nervous. "Gaara…"

Gaara was up and over to the blond in an instant. "Well," he said, after a moment. "It's the Uchiha symbol alright but-"

"But what? Goddammit will someone please tell me what the fuck is wrong with the fucking tattoo!"

"Naruto," Shika said calmly. "Calm down. It's just that your tattoo is a bit bigger than the ones we've seen and... it uh… it has some Japanese characters... written inside the symbol."

"Gaara?" Naruto knew his best friend would give it to him straight.

"He's right, Naru. But I can't read Japanese, so I don't-"

"I can." Shikamaru walked around to face the blond. He brought his eyes up to Naru's and took a breath. "It says, Uchiha."

Naruto opened his mouth but Shika was quicker.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Open mouthed and stunned, Naruto gaped at his friend, Shika. To his friend's credit, he didn't so much as twitch an eyelash back. Behind him, Kiba was biting down hard on his tongue and both Shino and Choji walked nervously away. Gaara didn't utter a sound.

"That fucking bastard."

 _To be continued..._

* * *

A/N: There it is! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter cuz I really enjoyed writing it and I can't wait to get the next one out for you all. Next we get to find out more about Konan and our favorite blond heads back to the club to have a little "talk" with Sasuke LOL BUT not before having a little flashback of his own & we finally get to find out just what he & Sasuke did ALL morning long during the time they were together. Thanks for reading! Much luv and many blessings to you all! 3


	11. Chapter 11: Old friends and new allies

**Warning** **: HARD YAOI, 18+, Rough Sex, Rimming, Masturbation** and **BDSM (Bondage, Discipline/Dominance, Sadism, Masochism), Sexual situations** , **BoyXBoy** , Language, Drinking, smoking.

 **Author's Note** : Let me first start off by saying, **DO NOT TRY IN ANY WAY THE BONDAGE TIES I HAVE WRITTEN HERE**. I have **greatly oversimplified** the mechanics of it all to make for much easier reading (and writing). Please know that there are literally hundreds of websites you can search on your own, to find out how to properly use bondage. I left out  TONS of the safety precautions as well as specific ties and knots that help protect against nerve and circulation damage. **YES, you can** **seriously injure someone permanently if you do bondage incorrectly**. And of course in the absolute worst-case scenario it can lead to death. This type of sexual play should be done by partners who know what they are doing and who are willing and have consented to such types of play. While I do hope you enjoy this chapter, it is really important for me to stress that the BDSM scene written here is **FANTASY**. Real life BDSM play is taken very seriously, so please respect yourself and others if you choose to ever explore this type of sexual activity by learning all you can about how to do it properly and safely.

*Okay, SO! Looks like this ended up being another long chapter haha BUT it was meant to be. I really wanted to get you all the lemon I promised and I wanted to throw a few more tasty goodies at you all. I really hope you enjoy this chapter and as always, thank you so much for reading and sticking around for the updates! Love to you all! 3 3

*** **Also, many thanks to Kizu, my beautiful bae! Thanks for helping proofread and for all the great advice! MUWAH! LOVE YA!**

 **Disclaimer** : Kishi owns Naruto. I make no money from this. The end.

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Old friends and new allies**

Laying down on one of the flat pallets, Naruto clasped his hands behind his head and looked to his left, staring at the low lit bonfire as it danced in the dark. He had returned from his rendezvous with Konan a few hours ago and had come back to the guys debating on what to do for dinner. Kiba didn't want hot dogs again and Choji wanted roast chicken.

"How the fuck're we gonna roast a goddamn chicken, Choj?" Kiba had thrown up his hands and stomped off.

It was only an hour later that Shino had arrived with the chicken and Shika had built the fire, causing a soft smile to play on Choji's face and Kiba to roll his eyes at him.

Now they were all sitting around drinking beer and cokes, munching on potato chips and trying to ignore the savory smell of the chicken as it cooked. It would be another hour before it was ready to eat and damn if they weren't all salivating already.

"So," Shika called over to him. "You gonna give, Naru?"

Naruto lifted his gaze higher up and saw his friend eyeing him. "Heh, I was just waiting for dinner so we'd all have something to talk about." Slowly he raised himself up and stretched his muscles. It had been a long walk to the church shed and back yesterday to leave word for Konan. Then today he had left again, but to Five Points to see if Konan had gotten his message and if she'd show up. She had been there and now the guys wanted the scoop. He had held them off by telling them he wanted to wait for Gaara to get back from wherever he had run off to while Naruto had been gone but now it seemed Shika was done waiting.

Running his hand through his shaggy blond tufts, Naruto let out a nervous chuckle, "I'm starting to get worried about Gaara."

"Well don't." All the guys snapped their heads up and Naruto jumped to his feet.

"Where th'fuck you been?" Naruto said, half laughing and half scolding as he watched the redhead walk into their makeshift clearing.

Gaara shot the blond a hard look and the blond immediately put his hands up in front of him. "Alright, alright, have it your way. But I think it's pretty shitty that if I had pulled a stunt like this on you, you woulda gone apeshit." He raised a brow at his best friend and gave him a half-faced smirk.

"Then we'll just call this payback for the times you did," Gaara answered and the rest of the crew all crowed and laughed in response.

"Fuck you, Red," Naruto shot back and everyone bellowed with laughter.

As soon as Naruto woke Thursday morning, he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. It had been a long night. Between the chicken, the beer and spilling everything to the guys about his meeting with Konan, Naruto had lost count of how many questions they all had thrown at him. Tired and a bit hungover, he glanced around the dock and stretched. It was still well before sunrise and even though the sky was beginning to lighten, Naruto knew he had a few hours before he and Gaara were due to meet Yamato.

He sent word to Kakashi's man yesterday morning and again last night. Shino had offered to deliver both messages. So Naruto had him relay his meeting with an informant at Five Points yesterday morning, and then last night, that he'd meet Yamato at the drop off Thursday morning around nine.

He told Shino not to give up Konan's name to the messenger. Naruto didn't want Sasuke having her name before hearing what she had to say. Now, he was happy with the choice he made. He definitely needed time to talk to Sasuke about what he learned and gauge his reaction first and then see if that damn stubborn man would agree to what Naruto had in mind. Then he'd decide whether or not to give up her name. If his plan to get Konan and the Akatsuki on the Uchihas side was going to work, he'd need to first convince Sasuke they were a useful ally.

He scrubbed his eyes with both hands and let out a long strained sigh. Convincing the Uchiha would be easier said than done.

Naruto reached into his cords and pulled out the pocket watch Yamato had handed to him before dropping him and Gaara off at the ass-end of the Lower East Side. It was only a little past four-thirty, so Naruto figured he and Gaara had plenty of time before heading out on their long trek back to their meeting spot.

"What time you wanna head out?" Naruto looked over and saw Gaara also sitting up and staring at him.

Smiling through his yawn, the blond stretched out his arms. "It's almost five so probably after seven? I'm moving a bit slow today."

"Outta shape."

"Hehe yeah. Been awhile since we've raced the alleys." Naruto let out out a soft chuckle.

Gaara watched as his best friend stood up and dusted off his cords. "Maybe we should give it a try on our way back."

Naruto threw his friend a _don't even think about it_ look and Gaara nodded back.

"I'm gonna go try my luck with that foul water closet. Be back in a little while."

Gaara nodded back and Naruto carefully stepped over the passed out bodies of his former street gang members.

As he walked off in the direction of the shitter, he tried to fight against the way his stomach was already turning at the prospect of having to venture inside it. Once there, he held his breath as long as he could and even tried breathing through his mouth, but still, he couldn't stop the gagging as he hurried out of the closet once he had finished his business. Silently, he was thankful for the indoor plumbing back at Pierrepont Place where he and Gaara were definitely enjoying the luxury life with Sasuke. _Yeah, but for how much longer,_ he thought.

Biting the thought down, Naruto filled his lungs. He again wound around the empty warehouse and he sat down, breathing in the sea air to help clear his nose of that awful water closet. Taking in a long deep breath, he then reached for his cigarettes and examined the pack. One left.

He lit the smoke and tossed the empty pack onto the dock. He had another waiting for him back in his room at Pierrepont. Come later this morning, he'd be back in the world of the Uchiha and face to face with Sasuke, he reminded himself and took a long slow pull off his cigarette.

 _Sasuke, Madara and now Konan._ Things were quickly getting out of control and damn, if Naruto wasn't kicking himself for not convincing Gaara to make a run for it after the night of the hit at Tokyo Palace. His gut pulled again but this time it was for a different reason.

"Uchiha Sasuke," he breathed out and a small chill ran down his neck. Secretly, Naruto had hoped that his meeting with Konan would have somehow snapped him back into the reality where he would prefer her over Sasuke. Hell, he would've been happy if he prefered _anyone_ other than Sasuke at this point, but it was no good. When she had come into view as he was wandering through Five Points looking for her, he remembered thinking only two things, that she had gotten taller and that her amber eyes had gotten darker.

* * *

 _Though still only the beginning of June, the weather was already heating up. This meant more people out on the streets and more hustlers on the prowl. Naruto scanned his perimeter and told himself to keep his senses sharp. He was taking in his surroundings when a familiar face suddenly appeared in the crowd._

" _Hi, Naruto." Konan let a small smile play on her face before jerking her head slightly to the left, indicating for him to follow her._

 _They quickly wound their way through the crowd of fruit carts, hustlers and city folk, with Konan taking the lead and Naruto following._

 _Watching her and the bustling neighborhood around them, Naruto immediately noticed the soft purple in her hair. It wasn't as prominent as when they were young but it was still there and he smiled to himself at her unwillingness to completely give it up. She was definitely dressed to fashion in her red knee-length coat with black fur trim and white and black cloche hat. A single purple rose decorated the side of her hat and again, Naruto smiled at her color preference. Naruto would've been embarrassed by his dirty corduroys and white shirt had it not been for the fact that he now had suits back at Pierrepont worth twice as much as her high style designer jacket._

 _Nimbly, he zigzagged behind Konan and followed her through the throngs of people rushing to and fro. Looking ahead of them, Naruto noticed a roughneck looking fellow headed their way. Before he had time to move up and take the lead just in case the guy decided to get cute, the man surged forward and bumped forcefully into Konan._

 _Naruto never did see exactly how the woman had managed it, but the pained grimace on the man's face was the only clue he needed to know that Konan had seen the man coming too._

" _The purse or your thumb." A dark sweet smile graced the woman's lips and Naruto looked down to see the man was barely gripping onto her drawstring bag, and that she had the thief's thumb between her thumb and a four inch switch blade._

 _Naruto quickly stepped up to them and blocked her weapon from the passerbys. He reached for Konan's purse and the would-be thief immediately let it go._

" _If I ever see you again, you'll lose the hand." Konan let the man go and he scurried off and disappeared into the crowd._

 _The blond gave her a look and raised his brows at her. She smiled back at him and let out a near quiet laugh. "You can take the girl outta the streets…"_

" _But you can't take the streets outta the girl," Naruto finished and the both smiled at each other._

" _C'mon. We're almost there." Konan turned and continued her way into the park._

 _Naruto ended up being glad that his dirty clothes made him look more like a hired hand than some kind of street informant as she led him through Columbus Park. The less he stood out in these parts, the better. History was that the park used to be known as Mulberry Bend, a notorious slum that years ago had been cleared and made anew. But old-timers never did like giving up their territory and to this day, in the criminal world, when you said you would meet someone at The Bend, they knew exactly where you meant._

 _The two of them quickly crossed the park and made their way down Park Street, and as far as Naruto could tell, Konan had no extra muscle tracking the two of them. That morning, he had had Shino deliver his message to Kakashi's guy as a distraction. Once Shino had the man's attention, Naruto had slipped away, but he still was keeping a keen eye on his surroundings. After all, Kakashi could have had two men watching him and if not, there was whoever Konan was currently running with to think of._

" _There's no one tracking us, Naruto." Konan shot him a soft smile and stopped in front of a local deli. "I didn't think I'd need to take extra measures with you."_

 _Naruto flashed her a grin. "You don't." He reached for the door and held it open for her. "In fact," he continued as he followed her inside, "I shook the tail that was on me before I came. I'm just making sure there wasn't a second one."_

 _She nodded at him and took the seat he was now holding out for her at one of the tables. Konan settled in and Naruto quickly took a look around. It had been some time since he had been this deep in Chinatown. This particular deli was run by the Italians. There were still a few here and there that didn't seem to mind much about the large influx of Chinese immigrants. The man now handing them menus looked him and Konan over and then turned back to the counter._

" _Don't worry. I come here all the time and he's fine with Japanese customers." Konan was now eyeing Naruto with a curious expression._

" _Yeah? I thought you were hanging out in Brooklyn these days, not Chinatown."_

 _The purple-haired woman let out a light laugh leaned forward slightly. "Getting right to the point, eh, Naru?"_

 _Naruto couldn't help the grin that flashed across his face. "Well, the way I figure it, you left that message with Shika cuz you knew I'd be coming around sooner or later. So if you're already that much in the know, it wouldn't make sense to play coy, would it?"_

 _Konan's amber eyes lit up and she smiled. "That's what I always liked about you, Naruto. You were sharper than the rest of those goons and you never wasted your time with trivialities or games."_

" _Not sharper than, Shika." He let out a low chuckle and Konan rolled her eyes at him. The waiter as he came back to the table and Naruto smiled at him then looked back at Konan and nodded to her. "Please order whatever you'd like. Lunch is on me."_

 _The waiter raised his brows and shot the blond a disbelieving look. Naruto let out a deep laugh. "Looks can be deceiving, mac," He said to the man, knowing it was his beat up cords and old cotton shirt that the man was referring to._

 _The now grown woman sitting across from Naruto smiled at the exchange and then looked up at the waiter. "I'll take a cup of coffee and some toast."_

" _I'll take the same," Naruto chimed in and the waiter nodded and left the table._

" _Well," Konan started, "You sure have changed Naruto."_

" _Have I?" He flicked up his brows at her and she smiled back._

" _I honestly would never have imagined you one day working for the Uchiha Clan. And I definitely would never have imagined you falling for Uchiha Sasuke." Konan raised an eyebrow at him but Naruto was ready._

 _He knew there was no way the topic wouldn't come up and had already been steeling himself for the question since that morning. Though he was sure she'd be able to read the look on his face, at least he was able to keep the blush from his cheeks. Clenching his teeth for a moment, he let out a short sigh_

" _I didn't fall for him," Naruto said flatly. He looked back at the amusement in Konan's eyes and tried to think of what words were appropriate. Just then the waiter came back and placed their coffee and toast down and then again headed back to the kitchen. Naruto slid her cup closer to her and took his up to his lips. "It was…"_

" _A mistake?" she finished for him and Naruto creased his brows at her words._

 _He took a small sip of the hot black coffee and then set down his cup. Tilting his head and watching her add sugar to hers, Naruto tried to curb the urge to tell her everything he was feeling about his one time affair with the Uchiha mobster. He hadn't seen Konan in years and even though he doubted he could ever do anything to betray her, he still had to remember that in all likelihood, she was now a heavy player. His mind quickly flashed to Hinata and how her eyes had gleamed when she had told Naruto of her current role in the Hyuga Clan. His heart panged at the memory but it served as a great reminder for him to not take Konan at face value. People change. If she was part of the Akatsuki, he needed to make sure he didn't reveal too much. Not just for Sasuke's sake, but for hers as well._

" _Heh, maybe. The man does have an overwhelming bastard side to him."_

 _Konan let out a laugh and smiled warmly at Naruto. "Oh Naruto, you've definitely fallen hard!" Her amber eyes lit up and Naruto gave her a small grimace._

 _Clearing his throat, he figured it was best if he tried to focus on the reason they were meeting. "Is that why you left word for me? To find out all the juicy details about me and Sasuke?" He raised his brows at her and kept a small smile on his lips._

" _No," she said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "When I heard you started working for the Uchiha, I wanted to try and find you to talk to you. I couldn't figure out a way to get close to you after I heard that you and Gaara had moved into Pierrepont." Konan's eyes darkened a bit as she bit into her toast and looked back at Naruto. Naruto waited and after another sip of coffee, Konan went on. "It took me a while to locate Shika. You know how he is."_

 _Naruto smiled and nodded at her._

" _I left you all before his move to the dock, so I had no idea how to locate him. But I knew if I could find him, I'd eventually find you."_

" _And you wanted to find me, because..."_

 _Konan held his blue eyes with her deep amber ones and raised her chin slightly. "I wanted to warn you that The Akatsuki will be taking down the Uchiha."_

 _Naruto didn't flinch at her words._

" _If you stay with the clan, chances are you're going to get caught in the middle." Konan took a sip of her coffee and waited._

" _Is that some kind of threat?" The smile had faded from his face but his eyes were as bright as ever. He knew how headstrong Konan could be and there was no telling what the woman had planned. Better to stay sharp, he thought._

 _She smiled around her cup and regarded the blond. "No, Naruto. I would never threaten you. I just want to make sure that you understand, that while I would never deliberately try to… include you in my plans, I won't be able to guarantee your safety and that matters to me. That's why I'm here." Konan smiled softly at the blond._

 _Naruto swallow a piece of toast and sipped his coffee. "_ Your _plans?"_

 _Konan smiled a bit more broadly. "Yes. I'm head of the Akatsuki and my plan is to push through Brooklyn and take back what Uchiha Madara stole from me."_

 _As Naruto drank his coffee, his stomach did a small flip at her words._ A way in, _he thought and leveled his eyes at his former lover. "Then it's a good thing you found me." A small half-grin lifted on his mouth. "I think you and I have a lot to talk about."_

* * *

Once Sasuke had gotten word last night that Naruto would be back Thursday morning, he set about making all the arrangements. He even woke up early and had driven himself to the club to inspect the suite. Juugo had stayed the night at The Palace to oversee Sasuke's orders and make sure things got done the way the Uchiha wanted. The private room had been cleaned, the sheets pressed and the booze replenished. Now, looking at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, he could see how tired he was. The long hours at the club seeing to anything that would distract him from the knowledge that the blond was beyond his reach, tossing and turning the past two nights and now this early morning inspection had pushed him further toward exhaustion.

But now that everything was taken care of, he would head back to Pierrepont to rest before Naruto's arrival and then return to the club to meet with him.

Sasuke adjusted his cufflinks and then ran his hands through his hair. There would be no attempts to get the blond back into his bed, he told himself, but he sure as hell didn't want Naruto thinking things hadn't gone on as usual while he had been away.

Uchiha Sasuke did not mope.

He fully intended to greet the blond on good terms when he returned and wanted the place looking perfect for their meeting. Of course there was the matter of Naruto ditching his tail to answer for, but Sasuke hoped that conversation wouldn't end up like their last discussion regarding the Hyuga woman. His dark eyes twitched slightly at the prospect of having to try and be _nice_ to the blond. It wasn't that Sasuke was still determined to make sure the blond knew his place, but more that he hated giving Naruto any kind of concession. Sasuke wasn't used to someone having this type of power over him. The blond made him edgy. Frustrated. But more than anything young street hood intrigued him to no end.

It wasn't like Sasuke had been idle during his silent treatment toward Naruto. Every morning and afternoon he had spent sitting at the bar, smoking and drinking while his crew labored, he caught every move the blond made. The Uchiha's dark stare and expressionless face never faltered as he noted all of the goings on around him.

How Naruto was able to maintain such a warm character given his life on the streets, fascinated Sasuke. The man was lethal, no doubting it, but the more he watched Naruto, the more he realized Naruto was only dangerous when provoked. Quick to laugh and patient with Sai's endless questions and Sasori's grumpy moods, Naruto's natural ease with all of Sasuke's employees had the Uchiha impressed. The more he watched the blond help Tenten coordinate and direct the crew, the more he saw that it was Naruto who had them all working as one cohesive unit.

The Uchiha had missed none of it. Not the way Naruto kept Sasori from strangling Sai. Or the way he would boisterously laugh at Yamato to try and get him to loosen up. Even how Naruto went out of his way to invite Tenten to dine with the crew at Pierrepont, trying to including her every time the guys would all have dinner. It was Naruto who, with just his natural ability, managed to pull together the odd misfits he had hired on. That whole week, Sasuke watched as Naruto effortlessly made them each care about one another without even the slightest awareness that they were all falling into line. Sasori stopped rolling his eyes at Tenten's orders. Sai tried harder at being more open and Yamato even cracked the tiniest of smiles at one of Naruto's dirty jokes.

The redhead had been affected as well, although for an entirely different reason. Sasuke had marked the way Gaara would pay close attention to whatever his nightclub singer, Sakura, was doing and how whenever the redhead wasn't looking, the pink haired woman would, in turn, watch Gaara. Sasuke thought it curious that the redhead wasn't even aware how his body would relax whenever the woman would start on one of her songs. Several times during their re-opening night, the mobster had watched the redhead peeking out from underneath the balcony back by the bar while the pretty girl sang. Sasuke had watched it all. The way the red's shoulders would relax. The way the crease in his brows smoothed. He even saw the way Gaara had wandered off after her number continuing with his patrols as if he hadn't just been hiding behind the balcony post so he could listen to her sing without being noticed.

Sasuke stepped out of his bathroom and shook his head. The redhead would be in for one hell of a surprise if he decided to go after that woman. Sasuke didn't know if Naruto was aware of Gaara's new love interest but he'd be willing to bet the blond hadn't a clue.

He looked around his suite and was satisfied with the result. The light dust that had covered everything was no longer visible and the unused felling had been eradicated. It had only been two days but without any window other than a small one in the bathroom, a stale smell had begun to settle in.

The cleaning was a necessity. Sasuke saw no reason for Naruto to know that he hadn't stepped foot inside the suite since his meeting with Kakashi. Or that he hadn't been able to bring himself to even look at the bed without flashing back to the day he had Naruto in it.

Walking over to the velvet couches, the crime boss poured himself a drink, quickly downed half and then set the crystal back in the table. Everything looked fine, he thought. Like the blond hadn't been gone at all.

A knock at the door pulled him away from his thoughts.

"The car is ready, Sasuke." The Uchiha opened the door and found Juugo waiting for him. He nodded back at him and then quickly followed him out.

* * *

Naruto examined the last of his cigarette before taking one last hard pull on it and then snuffing it out. He leaned his head back against the metal siding and stared out into the sea. In a few hours he'd have to face Sasuke and recite for him all the information he had gathered. There'd be no way he'd be able to convince Gaara to do it for him, so that escape plan was for shit. Somehow he would have to find a way to convince Sasuke that an all out war on the Akatsuki wasn't in his best interest.

He let out an exasperated sigh and thought about how best to go about it. He knew the Uchiha would have found out by now that he had been able to sneak off without Kakashi's man tracking him. And he knew Sasuke was smart enough to deduce that Naruto's disappearance meant he met with someone in secret and would most likely not want to give up the name so easily.

Naruto chewed his lip. It would be like the time with Hinata all over again. It still hurt him to think about her. He tried to reconcile the fact that the Hinata he knew at the orphanage was now the Hinata who ran a brothel but his mind kept shutting down after that. Thinking over it all brought him too many questions about how was she finally able to make the deal with Neji and how long she had been working at Orochimaru's before the Hyuga had found her. Naruto closed his eyes and pushed hard at those thoughts to go away.

He knew once he met with Sasuke, the man would insist Naruto spill everything and would never be patient enough to hear the blond out first. To calmly listen to him before pitching a fit about Naruto being disloyal. No, Naruto thought, he'd need some sort of plan for how to best approach the Uchiha.

A small smirk formed on the blond's lips. It was definitely wrong to even think that he could subdue the Uchiha by playing up Sasuke's attraction to him. After all, he thought, that kind of plan could backfire and would most likely end up with him in bed with the Uchiha all over again for hours on end.

Naruto's eyes darkened as he thought about how those hours would play out. The reasonable side of his brain tried to remind him of the way Sasuke had dealt him away so easily to the Hyuga.

Immediately, his eyes narrowed at the memory.

 _And don't forget_ , he told himself. _Don't forget about the way he fucking branded you like a piece of his personal property_ , his mind screamed at him, and Naruto clenched his teeth at the thought.

So why did Naruto find it curious that Sasuke had wanted him marked in such a way? He had to have known that, sooner or later, Naruto would find out and be livid over it.

' _Why did he want me and anyone who saw the tattoo, to know that I belong to Uchiha Sasuke?'_

A gleam came to Naruto's dark blue eyes as he thought back to that long morning he and Sasuke had been together. _Those bottomless possessive eyes._ Naruto knew then that he'd sooner or later have to come to terms with the way he and Sasuke had fucked and screamed and moaned those hours away. Something that intense and that intimate could never be so easily left behind and moved on from.

Naruto let his head turn to the left and he stared thoughtfully at the littered sailboat pulleys. With his head still back against the warehouse, he lazily brought his gaze and head forward again, and examined the sea as if searching for some kind of rationale within its depths. Something that would explain how the things Sasuke had done to him that morning could be scientifically proven as addictive, and finally giving Naruto the reason why no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't let it all go.

The way the rope had burned his wrists. The vulnerable way he had felt so exposed during all that Sasuke did to him, and the way he had begged for more. The way he pleaded near tears for Sasuke to not stop and how near the end he had cum so hard that he had blacked out.

Naruto thought back to the way he had looked at Sasuke when he had shown Naruto the rope and the pulley. His shocked expression had done nothing to dissuade the Uchiha and if anything only made him more persuasive.

He remembered the way Sasuke had pinned him to the mattress and kissed him deeply after tossing the rope aside.

* * *

 _With his heart pounding, Naruto melted into Sasuke's kiss. The exquisite feel of the Uchiha's strong lean body grinding against his own, had Naruto already getting hard._

 _His mind raced. Rope, a pulley, and Sasuke with his mouth now slowly moving down his neck and to his chest, had his head spinning. Naruto let out a hiss and a groan as Sasuke found one of his nipples and began to softly bite and suckle it and he arched up off the bed, his body already acting out of its own need and desire._

" _Sasuke…" Naruto breathed out and he threaded his fingers through the dark locks that were now tickling his ab muscles as Sasuke continued to nibble his way down Naruto's body._

" _Mmmm…" was all that Sasuke responded, biting softly on Naruto's tan thigh before looking up at the blond._

 _Naruto bit his lower lip and looked down at lover. "How many times… I mean, how of-"_

" _Not as many as you're probably thinking," Sasuke said and smiled._

 _God, that smile could seriously break me, thought Naruto._

 _Leaving his current position between Naruto's legs, Sasuke moved back up and locked eyes with the blond. "Things rarely got that far." He then leaned in and kissed Naruto harshly. Then he slowed his tongue and hips to a languid pace before pulling back. "You can always tell me to stop if at any point you don't want to continue."_

 _Naruto shivered at Sasuke's husky voice. He then turned his head and watched as the dark haired man reached over to grab the length of rope he had set aside earlier. Naruto's heart began to pound. He swallowed hard, fully understanding that Sasuke's intention was to somehow tie him up to that pulley thing as some kind of sexual game. What he didn't understand was why the idea excited him._

 _As soon as Sasuke pulled the rope across his body, Naruto went from half to fully hard in an instant. The feel of the soft thread it was made of, brushed along his skin and he let out a soft gasp. His pulse quickened and he licked his lips at the predatory look Sasuke was now giving him._

 _In one swift move, Sasuke straddled him and then looked down at the blond. "Give me your hands."_

 _Feeling like his breath had been stolen from him, Naruto took in a gulp and then realized his hands were fisting the sheets tightly. Without taking his eyes off of his dark-eyed lover, Naruto relaxed his grip and slowly brought both his hands up, offering them to Sasuke._

 _Breaking their gaze, the Uchiha went to work. He pulled the length of cord loose and brought the two end pieces together. Placing the rope underneath both of Naruto's wrists, he then pulled the two end pieces around the top of each wrist and through the looped end of the rope, cinching the rope and pulling the blond's wrists together snug. He then twice wrapped the double-thick length of cord around Naruto's wrists, and then held the rope with one hand, to keep its place while he used his other hand to pull the remaining length of the rope in between Naruto's wrists, creating a cuff around the binding. Sasuke then pulled the left over length through the portion of the rope he had been holding with his other hand, allowing him to cinch the makeshift cuff tight._

" _There are several ties I can do with this pulley but for now, the simplest will do," Sasuke said almost absentmindedly, as he continued with his work._

 _Naruto watched with fascination at the practiced ease of how Sasuke managed to restrict him. He quickly lifted his gaze up to the Uchiha's face and his stomach tightened at the intensity and lust that was easily readable in Sasuke's onyx eyes. Looking back down, he marveled at how deftly the man had double-knotted the end pieces of the rope; effectively tying them off._

" _Heh, not as many, but a few, huh?" Naruto tried to keep his voice light, but he couldn't help the slight tinge of jealousy that came through._

 _Sasuke seemed to immediately understand how Naruto was feeling because he looked down at the blond and a soft sincere smile spread across his face._

 _Trying not to think about what he'd be willing to do just to keep seeing that smile, Naruto darted his eyes away. He tugged against the rope and found that there was absolutely no way he'd be able to get out of the tie if he really wanted to. He opened his mouth again but Sasuke was there first, having leaned down to kiss him thoroughly and thereby cutting off whatever he was about to say._

 _Naruto moaned into his mouth._

 _Slowly Sasuke pulled back and sat up. As he moved further back, he took hold of the tie around Naruto's wrists and pulled the blond up and toward him until Naruto was in a kneeling position in front of him._

" _Only four." Sasuke locked eyes with Naruto and moved on his knees to get closer to him._

 _The blond nodded and took in a shaky breath._

 _Still holding onto Naruto's bound wrists with one hand, Sasuke slid his other behind his neck and fisted the blond's hair gently. Pulling on his bindings, Sasuke brought Naruto in close for a kiss and then sighed into his mouth._

 _Naruto couldn't help the way his body began to shake. He wasn't completely sure if it was due to nervousness or excitement but he knew that both emotions were now flooding his brain._

" _Relax Naruto," Sasuke said against his mouth. "All you have to do is tell me to stop and I will untie you."_

 _He tried to give Sasuke a sly grin but he couldn't hold onto it. "And I'm supposed to trust that you'd let me go if I wanted?"_

 _Sasuke brushed his lips against Naruto's. "Yes," he said into the blond's mouth. Pulling back slightly he looked into Naruto's apprehensive eyes. "It's much more fun if you're willing."_

 _The slight gleam in Sasuke's eyes made Naruto's heart skip._

" _It's a game," he said, leaning in again and speaking softly into Naruto's mouth. "I restrict your movement by tying your wrists and then I hook your hands to the pulley like this…" Slowly, Sasuke moved back. Still holding onto Naruto's bindings, he pulled and raised his wrists, hooking the rope to the pulley._

 _Naruto could feel his breath getting more and more shallow. The feel of his hands restrained just above his head was a rush like nothing he ever felt. He locked his eyes onto Sasuke, trying to will himself to read the Uchiha's mind._

 _Instead, he drank in the look on Sasuke's face. The man looked positively hungry for him and Naruto found it to be the most erotic thing he had ever seen in his life. He closed his eyes and tried to take in a deep breath. Again, the thought of the two of them having just one night swam through his mind, and he had to remind himself that if this was a one time only deal, it would be better if he just let go and held nothing back._

 _The feel of Sasuke's hands running over his body startled him and his eyes shot open._

" _Like this," Sasuke said in a deep throaty voice. "I can touch you how I want. Taste every inch of you and keep you right where I want you." His hands slowly caressed the muscled contours of Naruto's chest and then slowly slid down. Sasuke's smooth delicate hands found his abs and then his hips. Purposely ignoring Naruto's straining erection, he then reached around and let his fingers graze the toned mounds of Naruto's ass._

 _Naruto's head fell slightly back and he let out a long breathy moan. Before he could stop himself, he tugged slightly against his restraints and shuddered._

 _Lifting his head back up, Naruto stared at the Uchiha. Sasuke then pulled his gaze away from Naruto's body and looked back and into his blue eyes that were now ablaze._

" _And you think you have to tie me up so I'll let you do those things to me?" A sly grin washed across Naruto's face and Sasuke smiled back._

" _No," Sasuke replied and slowly moved away from the blond and toward the headboard._

 _The sound of Naruto's heartbeat was loud in this ears. He swallowed hard and tried to stop the feeling of abandonment that he felt as he watched Sasuke move further away from him. Then, watching Sasuke reach behind the headboard, he heard a familiar metal click. Suddenly, the sound of the crank could be heard and the pulley he was attached to began to lift._

 _Still on his knees, Naruto's wrists were pulled higher up until his body was stretched. He looked up at the device and was thankful it stopped when it did. Any higher and he'd have to stand instead of kneel. He looked over to where Sasuke was and his breath caught._

 _The dangerous crime boss was completely focused on Naruto. His ivory skin was flushed and his dark eyes were pooled with lust and a possessiveness that made Naruto wary. Sasuke's dick was fully erect and weeping, and Naruto watched in fascination as the Uchiha let out a small breath before falling back against the headboard. Naruto swallowed. Sasuke had never looked more strikingly beautiful._

 _Both men stared at each other in silence. Naruto's breath was now coming in short soft pants. Why did this game excite him so much? Here he was hanging from a hook like a piece of meat, with Uchiha Sasuke staring at him like he was about to devour him, and the only thing Naruto wanted at this very moment was not to be let loose, but for Sasuke to touch him._

 _Finally Sasuke spoke. "Do I think you'd let me touch you and taste you without the rope? Yes." Sasuke licked his lips as slid down from the headboard to lean back against the pillows that were there. "But let me ask you something Naruto, how does it feel to be tied up like this? To be on display for me?" A dark grin crept across Sasuke's face. "From here it looks like you're enjoying it."_

 _Naruto blushed slightly knowing he was painfully hard and dripping and that Sasuke's eyes were roaming freely over his entire body._

" _But I want to know how you feel. Remember, all you have to do is tell me to untie you and I will." All humor left the Uchiha's voice. "You don't have to play the game if you don't want to."_

 _The blond watched as Sasuke leaned further back into the pillows and widened his knees. His eyes were glued to the movement of Sasuke's hand as the Uchiha slowly ran it up his pale thigh and then straight to his hardened cock. With his eyes fixed on Naruto, he palmed the head of his erection, smearing the precum thoroughly before lazily pumping himself in long deliberate strokes._

 _A small noise escaped Naruto's throat as he watched Sasuke jack-off in front of him. "I… I think I can-"_

" _You think?" Sasuke interrupted and stopped the movement of his hand. "Tell me what you want, Naruto."_

" _I don't want to stop," Naruto croaked out and watched as Sasuke returned to stroking himself while hungrily staring at him._

" _You want to continue the game?" Sasuke's eyes never faltered from Naruto's._

" _Yes."_

 _Sasuke took in a deep breath and tilted his head. "Spread your knees further apart, Naruto."_

 _The blond blinked for a moment and then understood. Using the pulley, he pulled against it and was able to reposition his knees farther apart. The simple act of spreading himself open this way had Naruto feeling heady and more turned on than he'd ever been. The sensation shocked him. He closed his eyes and bit his lip. What was Sasuke doing to him?_

" _Look at me, Naruto."_

 _He looked back up at Sasuke and waited._

" _How does it make you feel being on display for me like this?" Sasuke asked again while he continued to slowly stroke himself._

 _Naruto licked his lips at the sight. "I…" His throat was suddenly dry. Could he even say such things out loud? To Sasuke?_

" _Naruto."_

 _Realizing he had looked away, Naruto's eyes shot back to where Sasuke was and he locked his gaze onto his lover._

" _It makes me feel vulnerable," he finally breathed out and then shut his mouth as if surprised he let the words escape. He took a moment and then tried again. "It's exciting, but…"_

 _Sasuke let out a small groan as he continued to work his shaft and then raised a brow at the blond to go on._

" _I want you to come closer." Naruto bit his lip again and watched Sasuke nod in response as if he had been expecting the comment. The Uchiha's hand left his dick and he sat up. Then slowly, Sasuke leaned forward until he was on all fours and he crawled over to where Naruto was tied and waiting._

 _Raising himself on his knees in front of Naruto, Sasuke scanned his face and looked into his eyes. "Like this?" Leaning forward, the Uchiha brought his lips just shy of Naruto's and let out a warm breath against them._

" _Y-yes." Naruto's whole body was now shaking with need. His dick was aching and all he wanted was for Sasuke to touch him, put his hands all over his body and do all the things he had done to him earlier over and over again. He creased his brows and shut his eyes, letting out a soft whine. "Please Sasuke…"_

" _Please what, Naruto?" The vibration of Sasuke's voice against his lips almost sent Naruto over the edge._

" _I don't… I don't know what you want me to say." He could hear the pleading in his voice but he didn't care. He body was pulled taught and he was naked and spread open in front of this man. All sense of dignity had left him. He wanted and needed Sasuke to touch him._

" _Tell me what you want."_

 _Naruto felt a shift on the bed and he opened his eyes. Sasuke had moved back a little and was now looking directly into his eyes. Naruto opened his mouth and then closed it again. He knew what he wanted but he didn't know if he could bring himself to utter the words. Sasuke watched him patiently and the dark desire and lust Naruto saw in the Uchiha's eyes suddenly gave him pause._ He wants it just as much as I do, _he thought and he relaxed slightly at the realization._

 _Taking in a quick breath and without looking away he opened his mouth again. "I want you to touch me."_

 _As soon as the words left his mouth, Sasuke's hands were on him. One at his neck, gently gripping his throat and pushing his head back. The other ran down the length of Naruto's body, Sliding down his side to his hip, gripping it tightly before letting it go and reaching behind to cup his ass and knead it._

" _Oh god, Sasuke, yes." Naruto's eyes rolled back and he arched his whole body, letting Sasuke's hands guide him. "Please don't stop."_

 _Sasuke let out a loud groan and fisted his hand into Naruto's soft blond locks. He forcefully yanked his head back and sucked hard on his neck._

 _Naruto's whole body convulsed at the aggression. "Unggh!" He couldn't think. He couldn't reason how this man was driving him to some kind of pleasurable edge where all he wanted was to jump off and lose himself to this ecstasy._

 _Gripping Naruto's ass, Sasuke pulled the blond harshly against him and both men sighed loudly as their bodies crushed against one another's. Frantic for more, Naruto tried to shift his weight by pulling on his restraints so he could grind himself against the Uchiha. Writhing against him, he bit down hard on Sasuke's shoulder and then immediately felt his head pulled back again by the mobster's grip._

" _Will you let me do whatever I want to do to you, Naruto?" Sasuke growled into the blond's ear sending a shockwave through his body._

" _Yes, please. Anything, just don't stop." He knew he was begging but he didn't care. His mind was gone. With his wrists tied and his knees spread, he felt only the desire to have Sasuke touch him and fuck him. Drowning in the delicious feeling of being completely possessed by the Uchiha, all he wanted this very moment was more. More of this feeling, more of Sasuke. Naruto's senses were now focused only on where Sasuke was touching him, kissing him and god help him, he didn't give a single fuck about anything else._

 _In an instant, Sasuke let go of his hair and Naruto opened his eyes in time to see the Uchiha move and shift until his was directly behind him. Suddenly arms were encircling him and he felt a warm hardness pushing against the crack of his ass._

 _Naruto pressed his face against one of his raised arms and bit into the skin. "Oh my god, Sasuke, yesss…"_

 _Warm, wet kisses on his shoulders and neck sent chills down his back and he let out lustful groan._

 _Then without warning the warm body left him and Sasuke's hands dropped to his waist, pulling his hips back. Naruto's wrists pulled against the pulley and he frantically dug his feet into the mattress trying to keep his balance on his knees. He felt Sasuke's hands steady him and then slowly move over his ass, pushing and gripping the firm flesh._

 _He tried to look behind him to get a glimpse of Sasuke's face so that he might be able to read what it was the Uchiha had in mind but Sasuke was crouched low and looking down. Biting his lip, Naruto knew it meant his lover turned captor was now staring at his ass. He could feel Sasuke's fingers, gently playing along the line of his crack and he felt a heat rush to his face. Before he could utter a word of protest, Sasuke spread him open and ran a single finger over his opening._

" _Oh shit, wait!" Naruto's breath caught and before he could find the words, he felt Sasuke's face press up against him and a warm wet sensation moving across his entrance. "Uggh... ohgodfuck!" He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched against the intrusion but Sasuke didn't relent. The embarrassment that was washing over him was quickly replaced with a strange desire for more and he shook his head wildly, as if trying to will the pleasure away._

 _Unknown to him, Naruto began to sob. His head fell back and he sobbed at the delicious feeling of having Sasuke tongue the tight muscles around his opening before pushing into his hole and then sucking aggressively at the sensitive skin there. "Oh god, Sasuke!" Naruto cried and begged. He could feel the Uchiha's hands grip tighter on his ass, spreading him open even wider and he shivered at the knowledge of being so shamefully exposed._

 _Again, Sasuke licked and sucked his opening, tonguing it ruthlessly. Naruto cried out incoherently and his eyes rolled back. Moaning loudly and shaking all over, his mind kept screaming for more, even as shame filled him._

 _Sasuke stopped for a moment and again ran one of his fingers over his entrance. "Fuck, Naruto, you taste so good," he growled and Naruto felt his whole body blush at his words. Briefly his mind went back to the shower he had shared with Sasuke and now understood the Uchiha's insistence at schooling him in the proper way to wash for their time together._

 _Naruto's thoughts were immediately cut off when Sasuke again pressed his face into him and once more ran his tongue over his opening in one long slow lick._

" _Oh god Sasuke, you're gonna make me cum!" He didn't know if he was warning or begging him, but he screamed it nonetheless and pulled hard against the bindings on his wrists._

 _Sasuke resumed his teasings, nibbling and sucking the ringed muscle of his entrance and pushing his wet tongue deep into him. Then suddenly he reached around with one hand and grabbed the base of Naruto's cock to prevent him from cumming._

" _OhfuckSasukeplease!" He cried out and his whole body bucked as he yanked against his restraints while simultaneously trying to push his ass back against Sasuke's face and forward into the hand on his dick._

 _But the Uchiha only gripped him tighter, pinning him in place as he probed Naruto's ass deeper, effectively fucking him with his tongue._

 _Naruto couldn't take anymore. His mind was screaming for more and his body was begging for release. Vaguely, Naruto could hear the loud wanton sounds that were falling from his lips mixed with the wet suckling noises that were coming from behind him, but his mind couldn't hold onto them. He was lost in ecstasy and wanted only for Sasuke to take him and drive into him the way he had before._

" _Oh god, Sasuke please, fuck me, Sasuke please!" Naruto screamed over and over, practically sobbing the words._

 _In a flash, Sasuke pulled back from Naruto and released his grip on the blond's cock._

 _Naruto's head fell forward in exhaustion as he panted, out of breath and shaking. Then suddenly, Sasuke was behind him, his body flush with Naruto's and his dick pressed up against his ass. Naruto moaned. "Yesss, please Sasuke…"_

 _The Uchiha moved back ever so slightly and that's when he felt it. A single finger, cold and coated in gel, sliding slowly into his ass and Naruto arched into it, welcoming the sensation. "Sasuke…" he groaned and began to push back against the intruding hand._

 _The Uchiha's breath was hot on the back of his neck and Naruto shivered as his skin prickled. "God, Naruto," Sasuke said against his skin. "I didn't think you'd hold out that long." Sasuke's voice was deep and rough and he kissed and nipped at Naruto's neck as he continued to stretch and work his ass. "And you taste so fucking good," he moaned and gently slid another finger in._

" _Sasuke, hurry," Naruto begged and pushed back again, slowly fucking Sasuke's fingers._

" _Tell me again, Naruto," Sasuke breathed. "Tell me again what you want." He slid a third finger into the tight heat of the blond's ass and Naruto let out a needy whine._

 _Thrusting his hips back more urgently, Naruto let all his earlier shame and embarrassment fall away. "Fuck me, Sasuke," Naruto grunted. "I want you to fuck me now. Hard."_

 _A strangled noise came from deep within the Uchiha and suddenly his fingers pulled out and the head of his dick was pushing into Naruto's entrance._

" _Yesss…" Naruto tugged on the restraints and lifted himself so he could spread his knees out wide, while Sasuke gripped his hip with one hand. Sasuke's other hand lined up his gel coated cock to Naruto's opening and pushed in._

 _Tensing at the initial breach, Naruto held his breath._

" _Fuck Naruto, you feel so good." Sasuke pushed in all the way and bit down on the tan shoulder in front of him._

 _Naruto tried to breathe and let himself relax. Luckily, there was very little stinging this time and he guessed it was due to Sasuke's earlier teasings with his tongue. With the heat of Sasuke's length fully inside him, he moaned deep and low. This is what he wanted. To feel Sasuke inside him again, moving, pounding into him hard._

 _Arching his back as much as the restraints would allow, Naruto turned his head to the side. "Fuck me Sasuke."_

 _The Uchiha then grabbed Naruto's hips with both hands and complied._

 _Over and over, Sasuke pushed Naruto's hips forward and then slammed him back hard, driving deep and mercilessly into him. "Yes! Sasuke! More!" Naruto's head fell back and the rope burned around his wrists but he didn't care. That same feeling of pain mixed with pleasure was flooding through him, sending his entire body into thrall._

 _Naruto let go. Tied and spread open for his lover, he let Sasuke yank and pull him as he pounded into him relentlessly. His body went slack against his restraints and all tension left him. "Oh god, Sasuke… please don't stop!"_

" _God, Naruto..." Sasuke grunted into his ear. "Fuck, you're so tight."_

 _Naruto lost track of time. He could feel Sasuke's arms wrap around him and the delicious way he slid in and out of him, thrusting harder and harder, but his mind could hold onto to nothing but the pure bliss of being ravaged in such a way by the Uchiha. Suddenly a hand brushed against one of his nipples and then pinched it hard. Naruto's eyes shot open and he screamed as he came hard. His whole body bucked. The orgasm didn't just pulse through him so much as it engulfed his senses, drowning out his hearing and his sight so that all he could do was weep and cry out as it rolled through him._

 _The last thing Naruto was aware of just before the black took him, was the feeling of Sasuke still pounding fiercely into him as his climax continued to rip through him._ _Just then, distant cries of pleasure came from behind him but he was already slipping into sweet darkness as the last of his spasms rocked through him and his eyes closed._

* * *

"Oh, fuck." Naruto was still panting as he wiped himself off. He hadn't planned on jerking off but the memories of his first time being tied up while Sasuke fucked him, always made him instantly and painfully hard. Being hidden behind the warehouse on the dock at five in the morning made his decision to masterbate easy and with the napkin from his lunch with Konan still in his pocket, he was able to wipe the rest of the mess he made off of his hand.

Naruto leaned his head back hard against the metal building. He tried to remember back to the time before he and Gaara got mixed up in the shootout at The Palace. Back when they had both decided that leaving for California was their best shot at a new life away from all this crazy underworld shit. He let out a long sigh and wondered if California would be far enough away from the memories of Uchiha Sasuke.

He thought about how when he came to after passing out that morning, he found himself in Sasuke's tub surrounded by soothing warm water with Sasuke tending to the rope burns on his wrists. He then immediately washed him and massaged him from shoulders to fingertips and every muscle down his back. Naruto still marveled at the genuine tenderness of the crime boss that morning. They had played several more times with the rope and pulley, exploring different ties and positions, and after each time, Sasuke would walk Naruto to the tub and insist on making sure he was rubbed down and any rope burns or scrapes were cleaned and bandaged. Once Sasuke was done fussing over him, he would climb behind him and pull Naruto between his legs, before wrapping his arms around him so the blond could lean back and rest against his chest as they both soaked in the warm water.

Such a far cry from how the Uchiha behaved the day of Neji's visit, he thought, and Naruto scrubbed his face with his hands.

The way the Uchiha had used him and disregarded his feelings that day was still raw within Naruto. He understood Sasuke had his position as a crime boss to think of, but had he just approached the blond in a more respectful manner, things needn't have played out the way they did. And the tattoo was just one more sign that Sasuke's possessive streak ran deep and it would be better if he and Gaara kept to their original plan to leave come October.

Faced with the past month, Naruto now no longer believed he'd ever be able to put his time with Sasuke completely behind him. How could ever deny that the man had pulled all his deepest desires from him and changed everything he thought he knew about himself. It was almost frightening. The sexual intensity alone had Naruto wondering if anything else would ever come close to those hours he spent with Sasuke.

And then there was the man himself.

The Uchiha crime boss had showed a different side of himself to Naruto that morning. If it had just been sex, Naruto might have found it easier to walk away but it was the gentle kindness and passion he had witnessed that had the blond wanting and craving more.

The way Sasuke's stoic mask had cracked and the way the man had let himself completely go during their time together. For those brief moments, Naruto had seen all the beauty that Sasuke had gone to great lengths to hide from everyone else.

That glimpse of softness that Naruto had witnessed was what kept him battling the ever long debate within his head. Who was Uchiha Sasuke? The cold, calculating criminal who desired to rule his turf with unapologetic fierceness? Or the tender lover that could show affection beyond just the sexual.

Looking into Sasuke's eyes had been all consuming for Naruto. There would never be any way he could explain what it felt like to gaze into those deep dark depths and know that the Uchiha was completely and totally focused on only him. Every word he said and every move he made had drawn the man's eyes to him. And it was the intensity of Sasuke's attention that Naruto found so addicting.

Even the goddamn tattoo reinforced this aspect of Sasuke. Marking him in a way that would forever let everyone but especially Naruto know that he belonged to Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto chewed on his thoughts for a moment. The way Sasuke had tied him up and consumed his every sense of being that morning. The way he had cared for him after their lovemaking and the way he had held him after as they talked of California and the loss of his brother Itachi.

He banged his head again on the warehouse siding. He didn't want to fall for the Uchiha. He didn't want to care about a man who so obviously didn't care for Naruto at all. No, he thought, better to just be grateful for the time they had shared together and focus on the fact that he and Gaara would be leaving come October. No matter how he felt about Sasuke, there was no way Naruto would choose to stay in this life of crime and he knew Sasuke would never leave the clan.

Taking in a deep sigh, Naruto stood up and left his spot behind the warehouse. A low building sense of regret started to fill him. Not because he'd finally let go of any doubts he had been having about leaving for California, but because Sasuke was a man who would never leave the clan in the hopes for something better. Naruto knew that the longer he stayed with Sasuke, the more his desire to never leave the man's side would grow. Staying would never work, he told himself. Sasuke was bound to his clan and that bond was stronger than whatever it was he and Sasuke had shared together that morning.

He brushed off his cords and wound his way back to the others. He'd stay sharp for the sake of Sasuke's protection and let all these other childish feelings go. Satisfied with his reasoning, Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets and headed back to his friends to say his goodbyes.

* * *

It was far too early for Sakura to be at The Palace but with the club reopening and Sasuke telling her he wanted more lively numbers for his guests come Friday night, she figured it was a good idea to put in some longer rehearsal hours.

Of course, the fact that she had heard Juugo mentioning that Gaara and Naruto would be back this morning had absolutely nothing to do with her wanting to be at the club when they arrived.

Sakura had convinced herself a long time ago that any chance with Gaara was beyond all possibilities. She knew the redhead had no interest in her and given all that he had been through in his life, she never blamed him for his indifference.

Of course now, she was thrilled that he had wandered back into her life but had no interest in trying to push Gaara for more. In fact, she was more than content to just have him as a friend. Staring into the dressing room mirror, she knew that Gaara deserved better than whatever she could offer him. She was bound to the choices and mistakes of her past and no matter how much Gaara wanted to save her, she would never agree to letting him try.

The backstage was quiet as she emptied her overnight bag onto her dressing room table. With all her makeup strewn about, she began to sift through it looking for just the right colors to highlight the emerald green dress she had chosen for today. She sighed longingly, knowing that Gaara wasn't the type to take notice of her outfit or her hair, but she smiled into the mirror nonetheless. She would know, and that was enough for her. Every dress, every flower in her hair and each song she chose to sing were for him and she didn't care if he ever knew. Sometimes love was about what you gave, not about what you got, she told herself. Sakura had received so much from Gaara that giving him her heart, even in secret made her immensely happy and in truth, it was the happiest Sakura had been in a long time.

Suddenly, the sound of laughter and giggling came from the other side of the dressing room door and Sakura turned her head just in time to see Ino and Tenten walk through it, stumbling and kissing as they groped at each other's clothes.

Frozen to her her chair, Sakura stared wide-eyed at the two. After a moment of realizing that the two women had no idea she was there, she cleared her throat loudly. Tenten and Ino whipped their heads around and a dark blush rose to Tenten's cheeks. Ino smirked at Sakura and tossed her hair.

"Morning, Sakura. You wouldn't by chance have anywhere else you could be right now, would you?" Ino raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips.

"Uh, I guess I could-"

"Thanks, Sakura, baby. I appreciate it!" Ino threw a huge smile at her and waited.

Sakura quickly tossed her makeup into her bag and stood up to leave.

As she passed the two girls, Tenten threw her an apologetic look. "Sorry I keep busting in on you whenever you're in the dressing room," she said, and immediately Sakura remembered the day Tenten had wandered in while she and Gaara had been talking.

Immediately Sakura understood and smiled at Tenten. "It's quite alright. I don't have rehearsal for another hour so I'll just come back then." She winked at the two women and saw herself out.

As she closed the door behind her, she thought back to how Tenten had blushed when she had found Gaara and Sakura in the dressing room. Her embarrassment that day was because she had expected to meet Ino and had instead walked in on her and the redhead. Sakura shook her head and had to stifle a giggle as she walked away and down the hall. _My goodness,_ she thought. _Is everyone who works at the The Tokyo Palace gay?_ She quickly covered her mouth with her hand trying to stop the laughter, and hurried to the hotel lobby. The bathroom there would do just fine and she could put on her makeup without fear of disturbing anyone's romantic tryst.

* * *

It was a quiet ride back through Brooklyn to The Tokyo Palace. After saying bye to the gang, Shika had again pulled him aside to tell him that they were all here for him if Naruto ever needed anything. Gripping his hand in a firm handshake, Naruto had nodded at his friend and promised to keep in touch.

Now riding with Yamato back to the club, he wondered if he could ever willingly bring Shika and the gang into the chaos he was now part of. Shaking his head clear, he decided save that question for another time and to instead focus on his upcoming meeting with Sasuke.

He had already decided that he would tell him what Shika had to say about Obito and the Chinese and that he had snuck away to meet with an informant who was paranoid about being tracked. He'd gauge Sasuke's reaction and then decide whether or not to lay Konan's offer on the table for the Uchiha to consider. If Sasuke ended up not being able to listen to reason, then Naruto would send word to Konan and hope for the best when the time came for them to face each other again.

More and more, Naruto's choice to join the clan, however briefly, was placing him in direct odds with people he cared about. And that included Uchiha Sasuke.

He was done with his denial about his feelings for the man. After meeting with the gang and with Konan, it was now painfully clear to him that not only was he attracted to Sasuke, but he also deeply cared for him. Trying to explain his feelings to Shika and Kiba, and then later to Konan, made Naruto realize he hadn't cared for anyone thinking the mobster had somehow forced him or tricked him into having an affair. He knew his friends hadn't meant it that way but he still found himself bristling when Kiba had joked about Sasuke making Naruto an offer he couldn't refuse. Or when Konan had suggested that there was nothing Naruto could have done once Sasuke had set his sights on the blond.

He knew the man was possessive as all hell but he also knew that he had wanted Sasuke just as much as the Uchiha had wanted him. And though he knew it would be revealing too much, he had on more than one occasion these past two days, wanted to let them all know that he was no sucker and that Sasuke hadn't had to do much convincing.

Despite his earlier decision to keep his mind focused on Sasuke's protection and his eventual departure for California, Naruto couldn't stop the smirk on his face from growing slightly. _No_ , he thought, as their Chevrolet pulled up to The Palace, _I was more than willing_.

All three walked in through the lobby and Naruto turned to Gaara. "It doesn't make much sense for us both to meet with Sasuke. Why don't you head over to Pierrepont, get cleaned up and get some rest." Naruto tugged the redhead's arm and jerked his head toward the car they had just rode in on. "I'm sure you would agree, right Yamato?" The blond turned around and looked straight into the man's stern eyes.

For a second it looked as though Yamato was about to shut the idea down. Then he nodded to Naruto and to Gaara, turned halfway back to the hotel entrance and then paused. "Just make sure to head straight to the suite to meet with Sasuke," he said and shot a hard glare at the blond. "You know I run a tight ship and you are meant to be there no later than nine forty-five."

Naruto flashed the man his best lopsided grin. "You know I'd never let you down, Yamato!" He let out a deep laugh and shot a fist into the houseman's arm.

Yamato glared at him for a moment and then walked away and back toward the car.

Gaara and Naruto exchanged a quick look. "It'll be alright. You go on." Naruto again jerked his head for the redhead to scram and his best friend nodded back at him. The blond watched them go and then took a deep breath. If he and Sasuke ended up repeating their last information exchange, it'd be better to not drag Gaara into it.

Steadying himself, Naruto turned and headed to Sasuke's private suite.

When he finally came to the door, Naruto lifted his hand to knock and hesitated. _No matter what,_ he thought, _he and Gaara were leaving for California._ So whatever feelings he had for Sasuke were better off left alone. Naruto wasn't going to change his mind about leaving the criminal life and Sasuke wasn't about to break away from his clan. If he just held on to both those absolutes, then perhaps his remaining time with the Uchiha could be tolerable and without temptation, he told himself.

He knocked on the suite door and it immediately opened.

"I was starting to think you were never going knock." Sasuke smirked slightly at the blond and Naruto clenched around the tight pull in his stomach at seeing the Uchiha's rare smile.

Raising an accusing brow at the mobster, Naruto pushed past the man and entered the suite. He turned around to face Sasuke and tried to ignore the dark gleaming eyes that were now so obviously scanning him over.

Not wanting to encourage their meeting head in that direction, he slipped off his dirty boots and immediately went to the table to pour himself a drink. Naruto noticed the half empty glass already on the table right before he took a long swig of his whiskey. He then turned to face the Uchiha and his eyes darted to the drink that was currently in Sasuke's hand.

He looked back into Sasuke's eyes and nodded at the knowing look in the gangster's eyes. "When are you gonna stop trying to bait me, Sasuke?"

The gleam in the Uchiha's eyes quickly faded but his face didn't show any sign of registering the remark.

Naruto took another gulp of whiskey and then walked a few steps toward Sasuke. "I'm here because I want to be here." The blond held Sasuke's eyes with his own bright blues and considered the man for a moment. "C'mon. Let's sit down. I've got a lot to talk to you about." A small grin came to Naruto's face and motioned for Sasuke to join him at the table.

To his surprise, Sasuke followed him and sat down on the couch across from him without so much as word of protest. A strange look that Naruto couldn't quite discern, washed over the Uchiha's face for a moment and then it was gone. A hard stoic mask soon took its place and Naruto's nervousness peaked at the sight.

Sasuke leaned back in the sofa and his knees widened lazily as he draped his arm along the backside of the couch. "I'm listening," he said and lifted his glass at the blond.

Suddenly wanting a cigarette in the worst way, Naruto patted down his pants pockets before he remembered that he had already smoked his last one.

"The end table on your right." Sasuke pointed to it with his drink and Naruto turned to find a pack of cigarettes and matches on top of it.

He pulled out two cigs and let them both. He then shook out the match and passed one of the smokes to Sasuke. The Uchiha accepted it without his eyes ever leaving the blond's face. Naruto took a hard pull and wondered what the fuck it was that had him all of a sudden feeling so flustered? It was the same emotionless mask Sasuke always wore with the same dark colored vest, white cotton shirt and blood red tie. So why did Naruto all of a sudden feel something was off?

"Whenever you're ready, Naruto," Sasuke said without so much as a twitch around his eyes.

 _That's it!_ Naruto thought and noticed the look in Sasuke's eyes. They weren't distracted or smug and there wasn't the slightest speck of impatience about them. _He's completely focused on-_ Naruto's heart flipped and he swallowed hard. He then finished off the whiskey in his glass and set the crystal down.

"Heh, uh, sorry. I was just trying to figure out where to start." Naruto's hand went to the back of his head and scrubbed the hair there.

"The beginning is always the best place to start." Sasuke took a drink and set his glass down as well.

Naruto nodded and gave Sasuke a crooked grin. "Sure," he said and took in a long deep breath.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 **A/N: Well, there it is! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Also, if you wanted more of the Konan and Naruto meeting, don't worry ;) I plan to include all the juicy details of their entire conversation in the next chapter! So stay tuned! Thanks so much for reading! And many blessings to you all! 3 3 3**


	12. Chapter 12: Time to talk of many things

**Warning** : Light Yaoi, BoyXBoy situtations, drug references, prostitution references and all around dirty and bad things that if these bother you, you should have chosen another fic by now.

 **Author's note** : Hello Dear Readers! This chapter was going to be a few thousand words longer but Tandy got tired. So I ended where I did and you'll get answers to a few more questions in the next chapter. More to be revealed in chapter 13! After all, I gotta keep ya coming back for more, right? **ALSO** \- I just wanna give you a small reminder that at the beginning of this fic (chapter 2 or 3, I believe), I stated that I would be taking full creative license when it came to the female Naruto characters. I really wanted to add more depth to the ones I'm giving screen time to. So like them or hate them, it's fine. I only hope that I've made them interesting enough so that they become active parts of the story that add color and dimension to this fic. Okay! Enough blah blah blah… I hope you enjoy!

 **Disclaimer** : Oh Kishi, the wonderful toys you gave us all to play with. Thank you. And I fully acknowledge I make zero money from anything I write. All characters are sole property of Kishimoto Sensei.

Special **THANK YOU OH SO MUCH!** To my wonderful beta bae, **Kizu!** You are the cream in my coffee and the rainbow to my rain **3 LOVE YOU!**

* * *

Chapter 12: A time to talk of many things

Naruto took a long pull on his smoke and let out a fast breath. "Well first off, it turns out that the deal you have in the works with the Hyuga isn't much of a secret.

Sasuke examined his drink and nodded. "I had a feeling the word was out. That Kakashi knows about it too." He took a swig and eyed the blond. "Am I to gather that you now know the exact nature of the upcoming deal with Neji?" The look on Naruto's face told him that the blond did know, but Sasuke waited for his reply anyway.

Naruto's two day journey into the city had definitely left its mark. And even though, Sasuke wanted nothing more than to insist the blond shower this very second, he was curious to see if the man would attempt to withhold anything else from him.

"I'm guessing opium." Naruto immediately turned his eyes downward and inspected his cigarette. "When I asked my old connection if he'd seen or heard anything involving the Uchiha clan, he told me that the rumor mill was churning about something big going down between the Hyuga and the Uchiha." Naruto brought his eyes back up to Sasuke's black ones. "He said it's been hard to get a clear read on what kind of deal, but that he noticed a couple of opium dens in Chinatown close abruptly and then re-open after a visit from Uchiha Obito.

Sasuke noted the disapproval on Naruto's face but quickly shifted gears at his last comment and leaned forward. "He was sure it was Obito?"

"He bribed a kid leaving the same den he saw the man come out of, and that was the name the kid gave him." Naruto could see Sasuke turning the information over in his mind. He hesitated for a moment, not knowing if Sasuke would let him in and then decided to just push forward anyway. "You didn't know."

Sasuke kept his eyes on Naruto. Nodding slightly, he sat back and took a drag of his cigarette. He knew the blond wanted in and it wasn't like Sasuke was blind to how beneficial having Naruto know everything would be. Still, as he tried to find the words, a touch of apprehension twisted in his gut. Not out of distrust but out of the knowledge that having Naruto so closely involved would make Sasuke vulnerable and vulnerability wasn't a feeling he was accustomed to.

Making his decision, Sasuke let himself relax against the couch. "I wasn't told the Chinese would be involved. Brooklyn and Queens were the only boroughs we'd be controlling. Or so I was told."

"By Madara?"

"By Madara _and_ Obito." Sasuke finished off his drink and poured himself another. He then refilled Naruto's glass and handed it to him. "Well, Naruto, it seems like your little excursion has already paid dividends." He lifted his glass to his lips and took a sip. "Is there anything else you learned on your trip? Like whether or not Madara was involved in my brother's death?"

Naruto took a drink and stared back at Sasuke. He knew the Uchiha was referring to him sneaking off on his own.

Doing his best to stay focused on their conversation and not how attractive Sasuke looked draped casually against the couch, Naruto swallowed and kept his eyes directly on Sasuke's.

"I met with another connection of mine deep in Chinatown yesterday afternoon. I needed to go it alone to make sure they'd show." Naruto didn't flinch from the raised brow Sasuke was now giving him. "I know you already know I ditched Kakashi's man at the dock."

"Then tell me what I _don't_ know," Sasuke replied.

Naruto snuffed out his cigarette in the nearby ashtray and then looked back at Sasuke. "I had lunch with someone who witnessed the explosion at the docks the night Itachi died."

Sasuke's eyes widened. " _Uso-tsuki!"_ Sasuke growled and slammed down the crystal glass that was in his hand.

"Sasuke, please…," Naruto put up a hand and softened his eyes at his former lover. He knew talking to Sasuke about his brother would be difficult, but he was determined to try and keep the man calm. "I know this is going to be hard to hear but I want to make sure I tell you everything how it was told to me."

The anger that was welling up within him had Sasuke grinding his teeth. If Naruto had ditched Kakashi's man to come back with nothing more than street gossip, there would be nothing to stop him from unleashing his anger at the young blond for not only wasting his time but dragging out the memory of his brother for this ridiculous game.

"I'm not interested in worthless underground gossip, Naruto," Sasuke spat out.

"Then hear me out," he said firmly. He knew there would be no keeping Sasuke from pitching a fit but dammit if he was going to let the man go on a rampage before Naruto even got started.

Forcing himself to breathe, Sasuke did his best to unclench his jaw. His eyes narrowed at the blond. "You're going to tell me _everything_?" he gritted out.

"Yes." Naruto tilted his head and a small furrow appeared on his brow. "I only ask that you hear me out before making any decisions outright. I know… I know you'll ultimately make whatever choice you think's best, but you sent me to find information and I did." Naruto took a deep breath and went on. "Please, Sasuke. Hear me out."

The Uchiha relaxed somewhat at Naruto's words. The blond was obviously trying to concede his position of holding all the cards for the moment and the knowledge calmed Sasuke's temper.

After a moment Sasuke stood up and Naruto watched him walk over to the table where the phone was.

"Yes. Send up that bottle of Glenfiddich and a couple of steak sandwiches. And another pack of cigarettes." Sasuke hung up the phone and turned toward Naruto. "I was saving that bottle for something special but, for some reason, I think I might need a little something special to help me swallow down whatever it is you're planning on telling me."

"You think I'm gonna try and feed you a bunch of bullshit?" Naruto bristled at the accusation. He hadn't counted on having to keep his temper in check but there was no way he was going to stand by and let Sasuke insult his intelligence or his integrity.

"In case you still think I'm some stupid thug off the street, Sas _-suke_ , I'm well aware of your ability to see through any lie." Naruto stood up from the velvet couch and clenched his fists. "What the fuck did you hire me for if you're never going to take me seriously?"

For just a moment, Sasuke took pleasure at the familiar look of defiance blazing in the blond's blue eyes. Trying to push away his growing desire for the blond, he kept his patience and answered softly. "I do take you seriously, Naruto." He then walked back to the couches and sat down directly across from him. "I was referring to my inability to hold my tongue... or my temper for very long." He cast his dark eyes up to where the blond was still standing and saw the man's posture ease a little. "Please, have a seat."

Naruto stared unbelieving, at the crime boss. Not only was Sasuke calm but he actually said, _please_. He took his seat slowly and tried not to gape at the man sitting in front of him.

"Okay… well… I guess I'll just start at the beginning." He ran a hand through his dirty blond hair and then leaned back.

* * *

 _Konan's amber eyes lit up at Naruto's words. "Really." She said flatly. "What? You think you can convince me to lay off your Uchiha?"_

 _Naruto tried to hide his irritation at her calling Sasuke,_ 'his Uchiha' _by bringing his coffee cup to his lips and taking a sip. "When I say we have a lot to talk about, I'm referring to the fact that maybe you and Sasuke might have something in common."_

 _He saw the curiosity flash in her eyes. He knew Konan wouldn't be able to resist an opportunity to get her foot in the door and he fully intended to use that to his advantage. "Depending on what you know, I might be able to help you."_

" _Naruto, you do understand what I'm telling you, don't you? I'm not here to negotiate terms. There's nothing you can say that will keep me from taking Madara down." Konan took another sip of her coffee and signaled the Italian for a refill._

 _After the man left, Naruto resumed their conversation. "I'm not here to try and convince you to back off. I'm here to find out what you know."_

" _What I know? About what?" Konan eyed Naruto suspiciously._

" _What you know about Uchiha Madara." Naruto leveled his gaze at the purple-haired woman and saw his comment hit home. The knowing that washed across her face was too easy to read, even for Naruto. "Tell me, Konan. Please."_

"It turns out that the person I met with has been tracking Madara's every move for years." Naruto reached for the cigarette pack and pulled out two. "Where he goes, who he meets…" He handed a cig to Sasuke and then leaned in to light it for him.

Sasuke kept his gaze on the blond as Naruto shook out the match and then looked up back at him. They both locked eyes for a moment. "And how he spends his free time," Naruto finished.

A knock on the door drew both of their attention. Naruto moved to get up but Sasuke held out a hand to him, motioning for him to keep his seat.

Again, Naruto tried not to stare open-mouthed at the mobster as he watched him get up to open the door. Sasuke let in a man from his kitchen staff and stood waiting at the door while the man rolled in a food cart and then carefully set the cigarettes, sandwiches and booze onto the coffee table. After placing silverware and napkins alongside each plate, he then rolled the cart back out and quickly bowed to Sasuke before leaving the suite.

After closing the door, Sasuke joined Naruto.

"I know you came straight here before showering or eating." Sasuke reached for the scotch and opened the bottle. "This was a gift to me from an old friend in Europe. He told me to drink it in good health." After pouring a glass for each of them, Sasuke raised his to the blond. "To your health, Naruto."

Sasuke could tell the blond was trying to figure out just what he was playing at with his calm demeanor, and it amused him. Maybe he should try being nice to Naruto more often. He smirked around his crystal glass and then swallowed the smooth alcohol. "Please eat."

Naruto drank to the Uchiha's toast and again noted his use of the word, please. "Uh, thanks," he said after a quick swallow of the scotch.

Trying to ignore the strange behavior, Naruto returned to their previous discussion. "Turns out Madara has been frequenting the Hyuga's brothel and opium den." He noticed the lack of surprise on Sasuke's face. "I take it you already knew that."

The Uchiha raised both his eyebrows at the blond.

"Then you must also know who he's been seen there with on occasion." The humor left Naruto's eyes and he watched Sasuke lower his brows and a give him a questioning look. Naruto let out a heavy sigh. "It seems a certain pink-haired employee of yours has gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd."

Sasuke leaned back into the couch. "Hn." He took another sip of the scotch. "I know she's been doping but I had no idea she was spending time at the bordello." He examined his glass and then looked up to see Naruto staring at him. "I know she's a friend of yours and that the redhead cares for her but she's a lost cause, Naruto."

Hearing about Sakura from Konan had been one thing but to get confirmation from Sasuke made it all the more real. Naruto snuffed out his cig and took a big gulp of his scotch before setting down the glass. He ran one of his hands through his hair and looked back at the crime boss. "Is she…?"

"If she's frequenting the brothel, I'm guessing yes." Sasuke could see the storm already forming in Naruto's blue eyes just like when he found out about that Hinata woman. For a man so clearly adept on the streets of New York, the blond still had a touch of naivete about him. The world they lived in was a hard world and though it would do Naruto well to remember that, Sasuke couldn't help liking the man for his steadfast refusal to accept it.

"Nar-"

"I think it'll be better if we stay on topic." Naruto pushed away the thoughts of what this information would do to Gaara and tried to stay focused. "My, uh… friend has been tracking Madara all over New York," Naruto continued. He didn't want to look up and see the same disregard in Sasuke's eyes that he saw back when they had talked about Hinata so he reached for the cigarettes instead.

Sasuke watched Naruto light his smoke and then take a long deep drag. He knew the blond was stalling and not wanting to meet his eyes. Though he couldn't quite understand exactly what Naruto was feeling, he did feel a touch of sympathy for the young street hood. Taking a cue from the blond, he took a long drag of his smoke and waited.

* * *

" _Why Madara?" Konan creased her brows. "That deal coming up with the Hyuga has got everyone jumpy."_

 _Naruto gave her a snarky look and she sighed._

" _Well, I have been watching every move that bastard has made for the past four years. The brothels, the opium dens, the cops he meets with and even that crooked judge from Queens." Konan pulled out her bag and took out her cigarettes. Immediately, Naruto took out his matches and leaned in to light one for her._

" _Is that how you found out about the shipment on the Passaic?" Naruto couldn't help the small grin that came to his face._

 _Konan leaned back in her chair and smiled. "That was just a shot across the bow. A little taste of many things to come." She eyed Naruto for a moment and he casually sipped his coffee._

 _Looking at her now, Naruto could see how incredibly attractive she still was. Her soft features only accentuated her deep amber eyes and even after all this time, he still found her to be one of the sexiest women he'd ever seen. But as he sat across from her, waiting on her next words, there was no mistaking the fact that the longing he had once had for her was now gone._

" _The Uchiha and Madara have made many enemies, Naru. I'm not the only one who wants to see them taken down."_

" _But you're the one organizing them. Right?"_

" _Naruto," she said softly. "I simply saw an opportunity and took it. With the right connections, anyone can heist a booze shipment or block a drug delivery."_

" _You said you would be taking down the Uchiha Clan. How do you plan to do that with a few connections and only a handful of successful rum runs?" He took another sip of his coffee and signaled for a refill._

 _A sly grin remained on Konan's face while the Italian topped them both off and then headed back to the kitchen. "Now, what kind of woman would I be if I showed you my knickers before you showed me yours, eh Naru?"_

 _Naruto let out a loud laugh and held both his hands up. "Alright, alright, so you're not gonna show me all your cards." He shook his head and brought his coffee cup to his lips. "Then," he said after a sip. "Can you at least tell me what you know about the night Uchiha Itachi died?"_

 _The woman's eyes immediately darkened. "How did you know?"_

" _Know what?" Naruto creased his brows at her and Konan snapped her mouth shut. "Konan, you just told me you been tailing Madara all over New York. Are you really gonna sit there and try and tell me that you got no information on his whereabouts on the night Itachi died?"_

" _That's why you came today." Konan took another drag off her smoke and narrowed her eyes. "How did Sasuke find out?"_

" _Konan…"_

" _You're here because Sasuke suspects Madara took out Itachi."_

" _Did he?" Naruto leveled his blue eyes at his long ago sweetheart and waited. "You've never been good at lying to me, Konan. You've got a great poker face with everyone else but for some reason, I can always tell when you're lying."_

" _I know the reason," she said slyly and smirked around her coffee cup as she sipped it._

 _Naruto let out a cough and shot her an unamused look. Not being able to resist the humor in her eyes, a slow smile came to his face. "Yeah, well, I know you know something, so give."_

" _And what do I get in return?" She gave the blond her best smile and tilted her head._

" _Not so sure I wanna go up against the ginger I hear you're now running with," Naruto replied._

 _The purple-haired woman's smile broadened. "And that goes same for me and your Uchiha."_

 _Naruto clenched his jaw and Konan giggled. "Oh Naru, you know once that man set his sights on you, there was nothing you could have done."_

 _He opened his mouth and then shut it. Naruto gave her a hard stare and went on. "Look, I know you want a way in and I'm someone that can help you. So please, tell me what you know and I'll do what I can to get you a spot at the table."_

" _You already have that much sway with Sasuke?"_

" _Konan!" Naruto scrubbed hands across his face and then took a deep breath. "I don't have much time. You know about the hit, you know something about what happened at the docks that night and you know I now work for Sasuke." He leaned forward and locked eyes with her. "I'm not gonna fucking lie to you. I hate that you're set on trying to stake a claim in Brooklyn."_

" _Afraid Sasuke will-"_

" _No." Naruto kept his eyes glued to hers. "I hate the business. I'm getting out. All that stands in my way is finding out who put the hit on Sasuke and helping him get to them first." He leaned back into his chair. "I don't know why you and Sasuke love this kind of life so much but I hate it." He took a swig of his now cold coffee and then reached for his cigarettes. "But," he said as he clenched one between his teeth and lit it. "If this is what you want, so be it. I'll do what I can to get you a place at the table but you have to tell me what you know." He let out a long drag and looked at her. "Konan, I'm not here to stop you from going after Madara. I'm here to find out whether or not I should convince Sasuke to help you."_

 _He could see her chewing on her bottom lip, considering his offer. He figured that was a better sign than an outright no._

 _After a moment she took a deep breath and finally spoke. "Me and my partner followed Madara to Greenwood that night. I thought he was trying out a new contact since all Uchiha shipments were known to come in through Red Hook…"_

* * *

"Apart from keeping an eye on his personal habits my contact happened to follow him to Greenwood the night your brother died." Naruto kept his voice low and his eyes on the gangster.

Sasuke took a hard swallow of the scotch and then immediately refilled his glass. He worked to unclench his jaw and breathe as he waited for Naruto to continue.

"It was dark when my friend arrived moments after Madara. They were there for at least an hour before your brother showed up."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the blond but again, he held back. Instead he took a last drag off his cigarette and then crushed it out before leaning back against the plush velvet cushions. "And your _friend_ is positive it was Itachi," he said after a moment.

* * *

" _You saw him, right? You remember what the man was like." Konan's eyes glazed over for a moment and a faint smile crept across her lips. "The hair, those eyes. The man was divine." She shot a look to Naruto, daring him to object but the blond just smirked back at her._

" _He walked like royalty."_

" _Yes!" Konan laughed. "Had it been pitch black and pouring rain, I_ still _would have recognized Uchiha Itachi walking down the main port that night in Greenwood."_

* * *

"You brother was easily recognizable." Naruto tugged on his smoke and examined the drink in his hand. "But more importantly, I know my informant wasn't lying."

Like a flash, Sasuke understood just who Naruto's connection was, and again he clenched his jaw hard at the realization and fought to hold his peace. The blond had been forthcoming and so far hadn't held anything back other than his informants identity. But as the realization flooded through him, Sasuke had to work hard to hold his anger down. With fierce speed his mind went through every word and each statement made by the blond. Taking a deep breath and determined not to repeat the argument they had about the Hyuga woman, Sasuke motioned for Naruto to pass him the cigarette pack.

A quick grab of the smokes and Naruto was already pulling one out and lighting it for Sasuke. "Your brother was seen walking down the port to meet with someone. They spoke for a few minutes and shortly after the other man walked away, an explosion took out the dock."

Sasuke took a drag and leaned back. "And the other man?"

Naruto shook out the match and leaned back as well. "My informant didn't know. It was too dark. But as they were about to leave, a car pulled up not far from where my friend was staked out, and picked up the unknown man right before high-tailing it outta there."

Sasuke drank off the last of his scotch and reached for the bottle. "Any make on the car?"

"When the car pulled up, the back door opened, and Uchiha Madara was spotted in the back seat."

Naruto and Sasuke stared at one another.

Still holding the scotch bottle in midair, Sasuke then looked down and refilled his glass before motioning Naruto to bring his in for a top off.

Knowing that Sasuke was probably chewing his tongue to bits to keep himself from barking obscenities, Naruto hurriedly held out his glass and then raised it to the crime boss.

Sasuke raised his glass back and stared at Naruto as he drank. He knew the blond would come back with information but he figured it would be more vague hearsay or gossip. Something that would allow him more time.

"Did your friend witness anything else?"

Naruto ground his cigarette into the ashtray and shook his head. "No, they left right after to avoid the cops."

"Hn."

Naruto watched Sasuke look away while slowly tugging and exhaling on his smoke in an even breath. He knew it couldn't be easy hearing about the final moments of his brother's life or the confirmation that his own uncle was directly responsible.

Tilting his head his head in curiosity, he noticed Sasuke's sudden avoidance. It wasn't like the Uchiha to concede authority by not meeting Naruto's eyes. It took him a second and then he realized, _he's trying to hold down his temper._ Naruto almost smiled. The man in front of him was still full of surprises. Just as the softness reached his blue eyes, his mind whispered, ' _don't forget about the tattoo,_ ' and the blond had to take a quick gulp of the expensive scotch to keep from gritting his teeth.

After a moment, Sasuke looked back at the blond. "I believe you have a message for me?"

For just a moment, Naruto gaped back at him. Then he quickly shook his head and let out a low chuckle. "There's just no getting anything past you, is there, Sasuke?" Naruto couldn't resist giving his boss a small smile before taking a sip of his drink.

Sasuke took one look at the blond's bright blues and lifted a brow in response.

Naruto set down his drink and leaned back. The alcohol was starting to have an effect on him. He glanced down at the sandwich Sasuke had offered him and then looked back up at the Uchiha.

"Naruto, you haven't eaten or rested… or washed yet." Sasuke gave a blond a slight grimace. "At least eat before you end up drunk."

"Do I smell that bad?" Naruto asked as he reached for the plate of food.

Sasuke held onto his uninterested look as he watched Naruto take a bite of the steak sandwich. "If it weren't for the matter at hand, I would have already dragged you into the bath and washed you myself."

Naruto coughed and almost choked on his food. He reached for his napkin and immediately wiped his mouth and tried to swallow down his bite.

He looked back at Sasuke and clearly saw the gleam in the mobsters eyes, even if his face gave nothing away.

"But since we still have things to discuss, your bath will have to wait." Sasuke took a swig of booze. "So you eat and I'll talk."

Reaching for the scotch, Naruto kept one eye on Sasuke. He washed down the food with a large gulp and did his best to not encourage the man by returning the look Sasuke was now giving him. He held out a hand, signaling for the Uchiha to continue and slowly took another bite.

"It seems my uncle and most likely, my cousin Obito, are working together to shut me out." Sasuke left his cigarette in the ashtray and relaxed against the couch. "While you were gone, I played several scenarios out and came to same conclusion."

Naruto lifted an eyebrow and continued to chew his food.

"Madara is already head of the clan. So why shut me out? Taking out my brother only puts him in direct odds with my father and the other board members and creates instability within the clan." Sasuke tugged at his tie and loosened it. He then unbuttoned his collar and took in a deep breath. "Expanding into Chinatown means my meeting with Neji was a farce. He and Madara have already made a deal and everything we discussed that day was just another attempt at misdirection."

Feeling a little better, Naruto put down his sandwich and wiped his hands and face with his napkin. "You think they're planning on combining the two clans?"

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and regarded the blond for a moment. "I think the friend you lunched with yesterday, suspected just as much and planned to use the clan upheaval to _her_ advantage."

"How d-"

"You were quick to refer to your first contact as a _he_. Once you began to discuss the other informant, you withheld using either a male or female descriptor. It's a simple skill using deduction and active listening, Naruto so stop fucking looking at me like I'm Harry fucking Houdini."

He threw the blond an irritated glare and Naruto snapped his mouth shut.

"I guess we're done with being patient," Naruto mumbled and he downed the rest of the alcohol in his glass. "Sasuke…"

"Is that why you ditched Kakashi's man? So you could sneak away and _pump_ your friend for information?"

"Sasuke, enough." Naruto glared at the man across from him and tried to keep his cool. "I know finding out everything at once is doing a number on you but don't use it as a reason to come at me."

The Uchiha gritted his teeth and stood up.

Naruto watched as the man began to pace. "Yes, my informant was a woman. No, we are not romantically involved. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

"Clever choice of words, _Naruto_." Sasuke turned and faced the blond. "But you were once."

"It was years ago, _Sasuke_ but yes, we used to-"

"Fuck?"

"Goddammit, Sasuke!" Naruto got up and moved toward the gangster. "Fine, you wanna do this now? Then let's get to it because this possessive jealousy streak of yours is wearing on my nerves."

"Jealous?" Sasuke rolled his eyes but Naruto stepped closer to him, ignoring his attempted dismissal.

"How about we talk about my tattoo then? You fucking mark me like cattle and then stand there trying to deny that it doesn't burn you that I met with an old girlfriend of mine?"

"You agreed to join the clan and that includes bearing the Uchiha mark," Sasuke sneered.

"The clan symbol, yes, but your name? You branded me property of Uchiha Sasuke!"

"You're overreacting."

"I'm overreacting! Jesus fucking christ, Sasuke, do you hear yourself?"

Naruto was now only a few feet away from Sasuke and the two men stared heatedly at each other. He could feel his anger being fueled by the booze as he stood there with his fist clenched at his sides. Staring at Sasuke's midnight eyes, he wanted the asshole to answer for the goddamn tattoo and tell him exactly why he marked him like his fucking personal property. Then, just as the alcohol began to heat his veins, the realization fluttered down to him and he blinked at the sudden knowledge.

Immediately, Sasuke turned away from the look in Naruto's eyes and ran his hands through his hair. This is not how he intended this all to go. It all was quickly turning into another argument and despite his irritation at Naruto evading his tail to meet with an old flame of his, Sasuke knew they had to try and get back onto the situation with Madara.

Slowly he turned around and met Naruto's searing blue eyes. The blond was flushed and breathing hard, making Sasuke want nothing more than to pin the man to the wall and brutally kiss him.

Reading the look in Sasuke's eyes, Naruto let out a long breath and slowly unclenched his fists. "I'm leaving in October, Sasuke." Naruto tried to slow his breathing and keep his voice even. "I can't stay here. I won't change my mind."

Sasuke stared at Naruto for a moment and then understood his meaning and nodded tersely at the blond before walking back to the couches.

Naruto watched as the crime boss sat down and refilled both their glasses with the expensive scotch.

"Then I guess we shouldn't waste any more time. Come tell me the message your friend wanted you to get to me."

For a moment Naruto just stared at where Sasuke was seated. The sheer grit the gangster was showing at trying to continually control his temper had Naruto almost dumbfounded. After a minute, he then walked around and took his seat across from the dark-haired man. Though he was still plenty pissed at Sasuke, he couldn't help feeling a touch of sympathy as he took the scotch-filled crystal Sasuke was holding out to him.

"So I know that your friend is interested in how all these events will unfold. I know that… she has been stalking Madara and I know that now you're going to try and convince me that she would be a useful ally." Sasuke clinked his glass against Naruto's and took a drink. Naruto kept his eyes locked on him and followed suit.

"What I don't know...," Sasuke continued, "... or rather what I can guess but would like you to confirm for me is, why."

* * *

" _You're crazy if you think that will work." Konan stared disbelieving at Naruto._

" _No more crazy than you thinking you can take out Madara on your own," Naruto shot back._

" _Who says I'll be on my own?" She steeled her eyes at the blond. "I'm not a fool, Naruto. I know what it's gonna take to take Madara down. I'm just biding my time until the right moment."_

" _You mean once Madara takes out Sasuke?" He kept his eyes on her and watched her slightly flinch. "You knew it was Madara who took out Itachi and that means you were already expecting Sasuke to be next. You're just sitting back waiting for them to take each other out so you can swoop in and pick off the pieces."_

" _Naru…"_

" _That's fine, Konan. I know you're gonna do what it takes to get a piece of the borough, but what I'm offering you is something more than just breadcrumbs." Naruto drank off his coffee and lit another cigarette. "Side with me and Sasuke and I'll get him to guarantee you a share of Madara's turf." Naruto let out a long drag and stared at Konan. "Once he's taken out."_

" _You're gonna get Uchiha Sasuke to agree to that?" She let out a huff and gave the blond her best sarcastic glare._

 _He took another hit of his smoke and waited._

 _The purple-haired woman shook her head and crushed out her cigarette. "It's not just about a piece of the borough, Naruto. Madara…"_

 _The blond watched her chew on her lip and fidget with her coffee cup. He gave her a moment and then saw her lift her amber eyes at him._

" _I owe that man a painful ending, Naru," she said quietly. "And I don't care who I have to use or buy or con to make it happen."_

" _Your brother."_

 _Konan cringed at his words and immediately took a drink of her coffee. "Tell me_ exactly _what you're proposing and then I'll give you my answer."_

* * *

Naruto smirked at Sasuke. His blood was beginning to cool and with the booze already doing its work, he could feel his affection for the young Uchiha returning. He knew there was no chance for the two of them but damn if he didn't love the way the man's mind worked. "I'm starting think Harry Houdini is a fake and you're the real thing."

Sasuke couldn't resist giving him a small smile back.

It's not like he wanted to pick a fight with the blond, but the more Sasuke thought about Naruto leaving in October the more he bristled at the idea that there were other _opportunities_ waiting for the man once he left Sasuke's side. More than anything it bothered him to learn that he might _need_ the blond, since all his life, he had never needed anything other than his brother's approval and this new awareness Naruto was stirring up made him uneasy.

"The Akatsuki," Sasuke finally said and Naruto nodded back at him with a half-grin glued to his face.

"You're brilliant, you know that?" Naruto lifted his drink to the Uchiha and saw a slight blush rise to Sasuke's cheeks.

"You're just easily impressed," he answered mockingly and took a drink.

Naruto tilted his head and softened his eyes. "No, I don't think that's it at all."

Sasuke cleared his throat and leaned back. "So are you going to tell me what you have in mind?"

Following Sasuke's lead, Naruto decided not to pursue the compliment any further. He leaned back against the velvet cushions and took another drink. "She's willing to join you in taking out Madara for a cut."

The Uchiha stared at Naruto and waited for the rest.

"I convinced her to lay off any shipments coming directly to you and she agreed as long as she got a place at the table once all the dust settles."

Sasuke nodded slightly and examined his glass. "But that wasn't her message to me, was it?" He quickly cast his eyes up and held them to the blond's. "There's a caveat."

"How d-"

"Naruto, please." Sasuke shot him an impatient look. "Do you really need me to explain myself again?"

The blond held out both his hands and laughed at the mobster "Okay, okay! Heh, I was only curious. But by all means, keep your black magic a secret."

Naruto smirked and his boss rolled his eyes back at him. "I think the scotch is getting to you," he huffed and drank off the last of his drink.

Biting down on his tongue, Naruto had to hold back from responding. The booze was definitely having an affect on him. The more he drank the less he cared about the tattoo and the less he cared about his reasons for not wanting to get back in bed with Sasuke. He blinked and tried to remember. _He and Gaara. California. Sasuke and the Uchiha Clan._

"Naruto."

"Yeah. I mean yes, there's a caveat." He snapped back to the present conversation and took a deep breath. "When the time comes, she wants to be the one to take Madara out."

Sasuke stared at the blond. "He killed my brother."

"She knows."

"I'm not gonna step aside for some two-bit, wannabe hood," Sasuke spat out.

"And I told her that," Naruto shot back.

"You did?"

"Yeah."

"And what did she say?"

* * *

" _It's a deal breaker, Naru, I won't change my mind."_

" _Then the loss will be yours." Naruto leaned forward. "With or without you, Sasuke is going to stop Madara. If you side with him, you got a shot at coming out of this with something more than just table scraps."_

" _Madara is mine."_

" _Konan," Naruto said softly. "Even if I could get Sasuke to agree to that, you'd never pull it off and you know it."_

" _That's not-"_

" _Do you know the level you're playing at now?" Naruto shook his head at the woman. "Do I need to remind you how Madara operates? Or Orochimaru? Or even Sasuke? Do you wanna know what that man did to one of hit men that night at The Palace? Without hesitation, Konan! This is not you, me and Shika pitchin' quarters for beer anymore, don't you fucking get it?" Naruto slammed his hands down on the table and the Italian quickly came out to see what was going on. he glanced at the man and then leaned back into his chair and lit another cigarette._

 _The Italian watched him for a moment and then went back into the kitchen._

 _Naruto took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. "Konan, if you honestly think you have a chance at taking Madara out yourself, then go for it." Naruto waved a hand at her. "But Sasuke will never agree to step aside. It'll have to be every man for himself." He took a quick drag of his smoke and then pointed the cig at her. "You think you can get to him first? Have a go."_

" _Why are you angry with me, Naru?" Konan softened her amber eyes at her old friend and Naruto let out a deep sigh._

* * *

Considering everything Naruto just told him, Sasuke then he reached up and slid his tie completely off. He had done his best to keep his temper in check but it still had gotten away from him. Now with all the cards on the table the only thought in his head was of his brother. He blamed the booze and the nearness of Naruto for his sudden nostalgic weakness and both thoughts flared his irritation.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke." Naruto's voice jerked the gangster out of his daze and he uncharacteristically creased his brows at the blond, in confusion.

Naruto sat forward and looked straight at Sasuke. "It can't be easy. Finding out that Madara was responsible for Itachi and now knowing what you're up against." Naruto looked down for a moment and then back up at dark-eyed man. "I can't even imagine the kind of weight you're carrying right now but I do know... that I plan on keeping my word to you. I'll help you settle this."

Sasuke stared back at Naruto and worked to hold back the words, ' _but only until October.'_

Instead, he hitched in a quick breath and shook his head ever so slightly. "I can't help wondering what my brother would do." Immediately Sasuke's eyes twitched at his own words and he reached for whiskey. They had already finished off the scotch but Sasuke wasn't done drinking. Silently, he kicked himself for again being so open with the blond.

Feeling the alcohol, Naruto watched as Sasuke deliberately looked away to refill his glass. It took all his strength not to reach for the man's hand to keep him from using the whiskey to chase the memory of his brother away. He knew Sasuke was hurting but more than that, he knew the young crime boss was in over his head and no matter what pain he endured, he would never admit to it.

"Sasuke-"

"My father's travelling upstate." After refreshing his drink, Sasuke leaned back and looked at Naruto. "I have to find a way to keep him out of this. I know he's going to want Madara's neck but if he gets in the way while I'm trying to prevent an all out clan war, I won't be able to protect him or my mother from danger."

"Can you convince him to stay upstate until this is all done?" Naruto reached for the whiskey and took hold of the decanter. Sasuke immediately leaned forward and placed his hand over Naruto's.

"I think you've had plenty." The two men gazed at each other.

Naruto tried to ignore the electric feeling of having Sasuke touching his skin and Sasuke did his best to not take advantage of the heady look the blond was now giving him.

"Sure," Naruto grinned at his boss. "How about we talk about my tattoo instead?" He raised an eyebrow at the Uchiha and so help him, Sasuke couldn't resist smirking back.

"If you're expecting an apology…"

"I'm expecting you to move your hand and let me drink away my anger at you." Naruto hardened his look and kept his eyes fixed on Sasuke.

"I can think of a better way to get rid of that anger of yours," Sasuke answered.

Before he could stop himself, a lustful smile formed on Naruto's lips. Suddenly remembering himself, he pulled back his grin and his hand and quickly stood up. He then set his glass down onto the table and went for the suite door. "I think I should go before-"

"Naruto."

Naruto stopped and turned around. With his heart racing, he watched Sasuke get up from the couch and walk towards him. Without his tie and with his vest undone and open, the man looked disheveled and seductive. The only clue that anything was amiss was the weariness in the Uchiha's dark eyes and it panged Naruto to see him in such a state.

"You look tired," Naruto said in a low voice and Sasuke nodded at his words.

Stopping just a few feet from the blond, Sasuke took in all that was Naruto. The man was positively filthy from his time on the streets. His hair was grimy from the sea air, his clothes were dark and stained from sleeping in god knows what, and the smell of sweat and fish permeated off of him. But as he stood there watching him slip on his boots, Sasuke wanted nothing more than to yank the man to him and kiss him until the outside world disappeared and again it was just the two of them in his bed for hours and hours.

Naruto looked up after putting on his shoes and saw the look his former lover was now wearing. He knew it was better for them both if he left before things got carried away but now looking at Sasuke, Naruto also knew he didn't have it in him to hurt the man anymore than he was already hurting.

"Her name is Konan," Naruto said quietly and saw the immediate understanding in Sasuke's eyes. "It was years ago. I was… we were young. And then after a few months she left. She didn't say, 'come with me' or 'I'll be back', she just left." He held Sasuke's eyes firm to his own. "She didn't try to find me until now. She's after a piece of the borough and settling a score with Madara. She knows I can help her and that's the only reason she contacted me. _She_ went looking for me, Sasuke. I didn't..."

Sasuke took a step closer to Naruto.

"There's nothing between her and me anymore. I wanted you to kn-"

In an instant, Sasuke was there, his hands in Naruto's hair, gently pulling him in closer. He softly brushed his lips against Naruto's and felt firm hands take hold of his hips and grip hard.

Slowly he kissed the blond and felt him sigh. Sasuke worked his tongue into Naruto's mouth and his cock surged at the sweet taste. Before he could stop himself, he walked Naruto back and pressed him up against the door as he deepened his kiss.

Naruto couldn't help but respond and he opened his mouth wide, his tongue searching alongside Sasuke's, slow and soft, while his disobedient hands pulled the Uchiha's waist closer.

Feeling Sasuke's hardness pressed against his own, he begged himself to push Sasuke away, but instead felt his hands grip the man tighter and for a brief moment they stood pressed against one another, tasting and lapping at the flavor of the alcohol that remained.

Finally finding his strength, Naruto lifted his hands up to Sasuke's chest and rested them there as he pulled back, breaking their kiss. Another sigh fell from his lips and Naruto leaned his forehead against Sasuke's trying to will himself to turn away and walk out the door.

"Stay with me tonight," Sasuke whispered and Naruto felt his whole body ache for man in front of him. He tried to think through the booze soaked thoughts that were screaming at him to stay and to grab Sasuke's hand and drag him to the bed.

Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _Gaara. California and the pull of the Uchiha Clan._ "I can't… I won't change my mind."

Sasuke looked up and into the blond's blue eyes. "California."

Naruto nodded. "In four months-"

"Then stay with me until you leave." Sasuke's eyes burned into Naruto's.

"Sasuke…"

Again, the mobster moved in and brushed his lips to Naruto's "I can handle it Naruto, you don't have to-"

"But I can't." Naruto froze and Sasuke pulled back and stared at the blond.

He stepped away from Naruto and searched his blue eyes for the truth. The same noble intentions and deep character that intrigued Sasuke so much stared back at him, making him work to steel himself against the rejection. He wanted to hate the blond. He wanted to curse him for being so fucking naive to think that California held all the answers. But as he stood there and watched pity flood Naruto's face, the only thing he hated was himself.

Sasuke turned from Naruto and walked back to the couches. He tugged off his vest and tossed it onto the cushions before working to unfasten his cufflinks.

"Sasuke..." Naruto's heart felt heavy in his chest.

The gangster didn't turn around. "I have some things to think over. Thank you… for your honesty, Naruto. Tell Konan the deal is set and I wish to meet with her soon. As a sign of good faith, she can pick the place and I will be there."

Sasuke didn't turn around and Naruto watched him walk to the washroom and pause before heading in. "Lock the door behind you on your way out," and with that, Sasuke entered the bathroom and shut the door.

Naruto stared after him. He wanted to go to him, bang on the bathroom door and tell Sasuke he was sorry. Instead he slammed his head back against the suite door and closed his eyes. "Fuck."

Naruto swallowed hard and took a deep breath. He knew it wouldn't do him any good to try explaining to Sasuke that continuing their affair until October would only make leaving harder for them both. If he went to talk to him now, either they would just end up fighting again or right back in bed where he knew all his weaknesses would be realized.

And he wasn't walking away for only himself but also for Gaara. He could never bail on his best friend. Their plan was to leave for California together, and no matter what feelings he had for Sasuke, Naruto had no intention of going back on his word.

He stared at the bathroom door.

There was no sense in trying to ignore the pull of Sasuke anymore. He already knew the man would always occupy a place in his life no matter how far he travelled from New York. But setting himself up for more pain than what would already be coming at his departure, didn't sit well with him.

The sound of the bathroom shower being turned on brought him out of his haze and he took that as his cue to leave.

' _Better get word to Konan,'_ he thought and then walked out of the suite, locking the door behind him.

* * *

Gaara walked through The Tokyo Palace lobby and nodded to desk clerk as he passed by. He had gone back to Pierrepont to shower, eat and change but hadn't rested at all. He knew it would be pointless to go to his room to try to fall asleep. His mind kept going back and forth over yesterday keeping him far too wound up to do anything other than jump back into the Chevrolet and head right back to the nightclub. So if Naru was going to be tied up with the Uchiha all afternoon, it was better if he kept himself occupied.

Once down on the club floor, he glanced around and saw that a few band members were setting up and the cleaning crew was already taking care of the tables and bar. The club would be opening again tomorrow night, so he figured he might as well as get started on some of the prep while he was here and headed to the box office to see if Tenten was around.

"Hey Gaara." Tenten immediately opened the door when Gaara knocked. "I didn't expect you in today. You just get back?"

"Yeah. What's the prep?" He was hoping Tenten would set him up with a bunch of tedious tasks that would help take his mind off of the little side trip he took into Queens while Naruto had been meeting with Konan.

"Well," Tenten sat down and resumed cleaning the tommy gun she had been working on and then deftly pulled the trigger to make sure the tension was smooth. "All the stashes and triggers need to be checked and then the kitchen and backstage runs need to be cleared and checked." Having finished with the cleaning, Tenten began to reassemble the gun. "If Naruto's with ya, you both can head up to the roof and check the explosives. The weather's heatin' up and if we don't monitor that shit, we're all gonna end up with a helluva surprise one of these days."

"Naruto's with Sasuke." Gaara hadn't meant to imply anything other than that the two men were in a meeting but Tenten glanced up at him with a curious look just the same.

"Ah, well then, let's get that grumpy redhead to give ya hand." Tenten reached over to the phone. "Get me Atlantic 4522, please." She smiled at Gaara and he did his best to ignore the tightening of his stomach and not turn away.

"Yamato. Can you get Sasori and Sai over to the club? Yeah, some prep. Thanks." She hung up the phone and turned back to Gaara. "Is it serious between them two? Blondie and the boss?"

Gaara stared back at her not knowing what to say.

"It's alright, Red. I know you're pretty tight-lipped about your friend's business but a girl gets curious." She flicked her eyebrows at him and then got up and headed to the box office window, where she pulled out a pair of revolvers that were stashed just below it.

"I gotta say though, I ain't never seen the boss act this way with any of his other fellas." She brought both weapons back to the table where she had cleaned the tommy and began working on the revolvers. Gaara stood by watching her, still not really knowing how to respond.

"That friend of yours has got the boss all shook up. Not that I could say I blame him. That blondie's one fine dish and if I had me an eye for men, I'd probably fall head over heels for him too." Gaara stared hard at the brunette and she looked up at him; humor dancing in her eyes. She let out a laugh and nudged him slightly with her elbow. "You didn't know? Ah well, I guess none of us here at The Palace advertise our private affairs huh?" She winked at the redhead and then went back to disassembling the handguns.

"I uh… I honestly don't know," Gaara said quietly and Tenten looked up at him. "If they're serious, I mean. I heard the Uchiha isn't one to keep his _affairs_ around for very long."

Tenten smirked at the redhead and nodded. "You got that right, Red." She looked back down and kept working on the guns. "The boss ain't never taken to anyone the way he's taken to Naruto. I never say anything but I notice the way they watch each other whenever one thinks the other ain't lookin'." She paused her cleaning and glanced up at Gaara. "I think your friend's taken a shine to the boss as well."

Gaara nodded slightly at Tenten and watched as she returned to taking apart the handguns piece by piece.

"I'm gonna start on the prep." Gaara turned back toward the box office door.

"Hey, Gaara. I didn't mean anything by what I said." Tenten's eyes softened. "The boss told me you and Naruto are leaving for west coast in few months and… I don't know, maybe it's the girl in me that was kinda hoping for a happy ever after, ya know?"

Gaara nodded at her. "Yeah."

Tenten smiled at him and went back to cleaning the revolvers.

"Tell Sasori to come find me. I'll be checking the backstage run first." He then turned and walked out of the box office and shut the door behind him.

Feeling uneasy, Gaara scanned the club. He hadn't been prepared to face Tenten's questions about Naruto and Sasuke's relationship. _Was it a relationship?_ Naru had told him that it was only business between him and the Uchiha now, but would Naruto mention it if things did get serious between him and Sasuke?

The redhead creased his brows and headed for the stage door. He needed a distraction and clearing the backstage run would be a good place to start.

Tenten had devised several exit strategies after the shootout last month. Given that there was one door leading through the kitchen and another that led backstage, it was the crew's job to make sure both paths were checked for anything suspicious as well as for clutter and objects that would prevent a smooth exit. Both runs had to be clear of boxes or carts and checked for any signs of tampering. They still weren't sure exactly how the two hitmen had managed to get their weapons into the club. Was it a handoff from the two suspected inside men or had the guns been stashed somewhere? Ultimately, neither scenario mattered much. What mattered was that steps were taken to prevent anyone else from getting another chance at taking out the young Uchiha.

Once backstage, Gaara worked to concentrate on the job and not on all the thoughts that were tramping through his mind.

He quickly darted his eyes down the hall and spotted a few potted plants and leftover food carts that hadn't been wheeled back into the kitchen yet. He set to work and tried to get his mind to ease up but it persisted.

 _Were_ Naruto and Sasuke serious? He knew his best friend always had a hard time letting go. Even though Naruto had never outright said so, Gaara knew he had taken it hard when Konan left the gang years ago and he knew that Otoha had been tough on him as well. Naruto always seemed to create bonds with whoever he met, but when it came to the girls he had affairs with, it seemed like those bonds ran extra strong. The string of girls he had passed the time with after Konan took off were no different. Naruto had made it clear to each of them that he wasn't looking for anything serious but they still came back around weeks or months later and Naruto never turned any of them away or dismissed their attempts at friendship.

But now, this whole new affair with Uchiha Sasuke changed everything. Gaara really couldn't see how Naruto would be able to brush off their supposed one-time fling. Not only was it not in the blond's blood to walk away from anything so easily but it was pretty obvious that Sasuke had Naruto wound tighter than Konan ever did.

Gaara bent down and poked around the base of the potted plant that was pushed against the hallway wall. Satisfied, he stood up and walked the corridor until he came to the dressing rooms.

He knew he'd have to clear the rooms but suddenly wondered if Sakura might be inside. The band was already setting up on the stage and if they were getting ready for rehearsal, then Sakura was sure to be somewhere around as well.

As he stood there staring at the dressing room door, he hesitated.

The few days away from the club had allowed Gaara some time to think over the situation with his old childhood friend and trying to figure out just what the situation was had been frustrating enough. He knew he had to think of some way to get Madara to back off and leave Sakura alone, but now with a clan war on the horizon, Gaara knew any approach on Madara would be dangerous.

He would simply wait and watch, then pick his moment. He had mulled all of this over at the dock but each time he had set his mind to try and find some kind of angle he could work, Sakura's words same floating back to him.

' _Don't make me go through losing you all over again,'_ she had said. While he and Naruto had been down at South Street Seaport, he had played those words over and over in his mind while staring out into the ocean, listening to the sea. Even during his long trek into Queens and back, her words continued to sound in his head.

He knew that leaving Sakura and Hinata behind had worn on his conscience all these years, but he had always figured blame would come in the form of bitterness. He expected tears of ' _how could you leave me in that place'_ or ' _I waited for you to come back,'_ not ' _don't make me go through losing you all over again.'_

Gaara rested his hand on the doorknob. Just before he was about to turn it, faint voices drifted from the other side.

He hadn't wanted to accidentally walk in on someone changing, so, now knowing the dressing room wasn't empty, Gaara slowly opened the door and listened to see if it was safe to walk in.

The sound of Sakura's voice floated toward him.

"I'm done, Hinata. I don't want the money or the _ahen."_

Instantly, Gaara's heart panged in his chest at Sakura's words.

"Are you sure, Sakura? Of course, I respect your wishes but you've said this to me before and I've had to come all the way back just to bring you another vial." Gaara heard a light sound of glass being tapped.

"Hinata, please."

Gaara stood at the door frozen. Everything was now painfully clear to him and he gripped the doorknob harshly, more to keep himself from reeling than anything else. He hated standing there listening like a rat, but he couldn't will himself to let go of the handle.

"Sakura, these men are important to the deal Madara and Sasuke have been finalizing for the past five months. At least meet with them. Show them a little... _American hospitality_. After all, they only just arrived and would love a chance to socialize."

"Hinata, I told you-"

"I'll leave this with you, just in case you change your mind. And if you do, call me later and I'll swing by and pick you up tonight."

Choosing his moment, Gaara knocked on the dressing room door. "Hello." He worked hard to keep his voice flat and not show the turmoil building inside of him.

"Gaara?" Sakura's eyes widened at the sight of the redhead entering the room.

He cast his expressionless green eyes at the two women as he entered the room and nodded to them both. "I gotta prep the room for tomorrow night."

"Gaara!" Hinata gushed and walked over to him. "I had the pleasure of getting to talk to Naruto when I was here before but I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to catch up as well." She smiled softly and Gaara did his best to keep his tongue and only nod in return. "How've you been? It's been years since you and Naruto escaped the orphanage. I honestly thought the both of you left New York and I'd never get a chance to see either of you again."

"I manage," he said flatly and then glanced over at Sakura and back to Hinata. "I hear you're working for the Hyuga now."

"Well," Hinata started and a slight smirk came to her face. "I wouldn't say I work for him. Rather I work _with_ him." A gleam came to Hinata's eyes as he smiled at the redhead. "I have an equal authority within the Hyuga Clan." She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head. "Not bad for a former working girl wouldn't ya say?"

Gaara nodded back at her and then walked over to Sakura. "I need to clear the room for tomorrow night."

Sakura swallowed hard and pulled her gaze away from the redhead. "Uh, Hina, Gaara has to get the prep done for the club opening tomorrow night and I have to get back to rehearsal." She moved passed the redhead and walked toward the silver-eyed woman. "Maybe we can catch up another time."

Hinata smiled at the pink-haired woman and then shot a quick glance over at Gaara. "And what shall I tell your date for this evening?"

All the blood rushed to Sakura's face and she froze at Hinata's words.

"You can tell him, she'll be with me tonight." Gaara steeled his eyes at Hinata and he took a step toward her.

The gleam left Hinata's eyes and she stared back at Gaara. "You sure you wanna upset your boss? Madara won't like-"

"Uchiha Sasuke is my boss, Hinata." Gaara moved closer to her and leveled his eyes at her. "You can take it up with him."

Still holding onto her smile, Hinata nodded at the redhead and then looked over at Sakura. "I'll be sure to let Madara know." She gave Sakura a sly grin and turned to walk out the door. "Oh!" She stopped and looked back at them both. "If you change your mind, you be sure and give me a call." Hinata then turned again and walked out of the dressing room door.

"Gaara." Sakura immediately turned and faced her friend.

Before she could say another word his hand came up, signaling for her not to speak. "I… I will take you back to Pierrepont with me tonight. After prep and your rehearsal." His eyes were soft but behind them was rigid authority.

She opened her mouth but Gaara was quicker.

"We'll leave it for tonight." He swallowed around his words and looked at her for another moment. "Where is it?"

Sakura stared at the redhead and creased her brows. "I don't know what-"

"The vial, Sakura. What did you do with the opium she handed you?" Gaara's green eyes blazed at Sakura and she recoiled slighty at his words.

Gaara hadn't intended for his words to come out so harsh. After all, he wasn't exactly angry with her but instead furious that he had been blind to it all until now.

Sakura tore her eyes away from his and looked down. She opened up her hand and Gaara saw the small glass vial she had been clutching. Holding her hand open she lifted it up to Gaara but still didn't meet his eyes.

Quietly he took the small jar from her. He opened his mouth to say something but didn't quite trust his voice. Slowly, he closed his hand around the glass and he lifted his gaze to Sakura. He could see the darkness forming in her eyes and tried to steel himself against it. He didn't understand these new emotions she was bringing out in him and he figured rather than take a risk of saying something he'd later regret, Gaara turned away from her and walked out the dressing room door.

* * *

Naruto reached the side entrance of The Palace, opened the door and stepped out and into the late afternoon sun. Immediately he pulled out his cigarettes and lit one. He knew he should go back to Pierrepont to shower and rest but his meeting with Sasuke still had him trying to shake off the urge to walk back to the suite and bang on the door. He leaned up against the side of the building and wondered what he would say to Sasuke if he did do just that. ' _I'm sorry?'_ Or would he say, _forget California_ and drag the man to the large satin covered bed and again drown himself in the pleasure of the two of them all night long.

He ran a hand through his hair and took a long pull of his smoke. This whole thing was for shit and he knew it. He wanted Sasuke and he wanted to go to California. There was no way to win this one.

"Didn't expect to find you out here."

Naruto turned his head and saw Kakashi near the street sidewalk and walking towards him. With his trademark fedora pulled low over his left eye, he smirked slightly at Naruto as he took out his own cigarettes and nodded hello at the blond.

"Taking a quick break before heading back to Pierrepont," Naruto answered and tossed Kakashi his matches.

Kakashi lit his cigarette. "You meet with the Uchiha already?"

Naruto nodded back. He could see Kakashi looking him over and trying to get a read on situation. For a man with only one eye, he sure made good use out of the one that remained.

Naruto shifted under his gaze and continued to smoke his cigarette.

"Any news from Chinatown?"

Naruto snapped his head up at Kakashi.

"I lost you at Five Points, but yes, I tracked you there." Kakashi's voice was smooth and even, giving no trace of accusation or presumption.

"Not so sure it's my place to say." Naruto stood up straight and waited.

The one eyed man nodded at back. "Fair enough." Kakashi then took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair before placing the fedora back on his head. "Well, even though you're not willing to share information with me, I'm in a generous mood today."

Raising his eyebrows, Naruto shot Kakashi a curious look and waited.

"Would you like to know where your redheaded friend ran off to while you were in Chinatown?"

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 **A/N** : I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I want to let you know that yes, you will find out the end of Naruto and Konan's meeting AND you will find out just what Kakashi knows about Gaara. Oh and just in case y'all wondering… yes, Hinata is going to be a bit dark in this story. I hope you all can handle it! Thanks so much for reading! Much luv and blessings to you all! 3


	13. Chapter 13: The things we leave behind

**Warning** : Do I really need to keep warning y'all? Language. Adult themes. BoyxBoy situations. I really dislike these warnings. I feel like anyone who might be offended or shocked at this point really needs to find another fic to read.

 **Author's note** : So where the fuck have I been, right? Well, the past 6 weeks have been hell, to say the least. Orlando. Dallas. Trump. Nice... and so on and so on… The world is a mess and sometimes a gal like myself finds it hard to see a point in writing fanfiction when larger more important matters are at hand. But, I made a promise to finish this and finish it I will. If you're still tuning in and following this story… thank you. I wish I was more like my bae, Kizu when it comes to scheduled and timely updates. She fucking rocks, don't she? But I am me. And sometimes when my heart breaks, it's hard finding the scattered pieces needed to put myself back together. After Orlando, I really had to re-think this story. I almost wrote in a tragic death for this chapter just so I could pour my rage and sorrow into it, thereby relieving some of my pain but at the last minute, changed my mind. I'll find another way to express how I feel, either in a later chapter or in another fic. So for now, I offer up this chapter at a little over 12k instead. This was a hard chapter to write. As a friend told me, it probably would have been a good idea to follow the lead of hotel chains and real estate developers by skipping the number 13 entirely. But I didn't and instead, pressed on. Whether this chapter is any good, I honestly don't know. The whole endeavor was like being on the outside looking in. I hope it came out okay, not so much for my benefit, but for you, Dear Reader, who have again, taken the time to read it. Anyway… sorry for the long rambling and many thanks for sticking with me this far. I hope you enjoy the read and I also hope that wherever you are, you take a moment to appreciate the love that surrounds you... for as we've all seen these last few weeks, it can be fleeting and without guarantees. Blessings to you all. Tandy, out.

*As always, nothing but love and respect to my amazing beta bae, Kizu, I love you, woman and with all my heart, I appreciate all you do.

 **Disclaimer** : Kishi's get's all the money and I get none. The end.

* * *

 _"_ _Didn't expect to find you out here."_

 _Naruto turned his head and saw Kakashi near the street sidewalk and walking towards him. With his trademark fedora pulled low over his left eye, a soft smirk fell across his mouth as he took out his own cigarettes and nodded hello at the blond._

 _"_ _Taking a quick break before heading back to Pierrepont," Naruto answered and tossed Kakashi his matches._

 _Kakashi lit his cigarette. "You meet with the Uchiha already?"_

 _Naruto could see Kakashi looking him over and trying to get a read on situation. For a man with only one eye, he sure made good use out of the one that remained._

 _Naruto shifted under his gaze and continued to smoke his cigarette._

 _"_ _Any news from Chinatown?"_

 _Naruto snapped his head up._

 _"_ _I lost you at Five Points, but yes, I tracked you there." Kakashi said, smooth and even, giving no trace of accusation or presumption._

 _"_ _Not so sure it's my place to say." Naruto stood up straight and waited._

 _The one eyed man nodded. "Fair enough." Kakashi took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair before placing the fedora back on his head. "Well, even though you're not willing to share information with me, I'm in a generous mood today."_

 _Raising his eyebrows, Naruto shot Kakashi a curious look and waited._

 _"_ _Would you like to know where your redheaded friend ran off to while you were in Chinatown?"_

* * *

 **Chapter 13: The things we leave behind**

Naruto eyed Kakashi, squinting from the bright sunlight. "And you think I don't know where he went, because…?"

A deep bout of laughter left the white-haired man. "Naruto, do you really think you have any skill at lying?"

Even as Kakashi continued to laugh, Naruto stayed unmoved and took another drag of his cigarette. Kakashi gave the blond a smug grin and then tossed him back his matches.

"You put up a good front, Naruto. Still, something tells me you'd be very interested to know."

Naruto turned his face toward the sidewalk and glanced at the passerbys. Inside he felt his stomach tighten, not really sure that he wanted to hear whatever Kakashi had to say.

"P.S. One."

Naruto whipped his head back to face Kakashi. "I don't believe you." His voice was tight and hollow. Naruto was sure Kakashi could hear the sound of his heart now pounding in his ears. _No,_ his mind screamed. There's _No way_ Gaara went back to that place.

The dark-suited man, tossed his cigarette and crushed it out with his heel. "When my associate came to me with this information, it took me a moment to figure out why there."

Still not willing to give anything away, Naruto stood his ground and said nothing.

"You both came from there, didn't you?"

One last long drag from his cigarette was the only reply Naruto gave. Then he flicked the smoke away; his eyes never leaving Kakashi's face.

"Hmm. Flat out denial would be something so I'll take your silence as a yes." Kakashi moved closer to the side of the building and out of the direct sun. He leaned against the wall and looked out towards the street. "I came from P.S. One."

Naruto's eyes widened.

With quiet reflection, Kakashi spoke to the scene passing by on the street, ignoring the weight of the blue eyes that were now boring into the back of this head. "I know what it was like. During my time, the place was still more public school than orphanage but I remember the cruelty and the beatings." Absentmindedly, Kakashi pulled out another cigarette and looked at it. "My guy followed Gaara there and watched from a distance as he snuck around the back and climbed up the fire escape. He saw your friend up on the roof just before disappearing into an old furnace vent."

Naruto reached for his own cigarettes, pulling out one as well as his matches. He lit his and then offered his light to Kakashi. The man glanced back at the blond and nodded before leaning in to light his smoke.

"My associate waited all day and into the night for your friend to come back out but he never saw him return." Both men continued to smoke and casually watch the street traffic. "Somehow the redhead managed to leave undetected. He was already back at the pier with you and your friends by the time my guy gave up and headed back."

 _Why would he go back?_ Naruto's mind swam with ideas. It couldn't have been to get Naruto's birth certificate. Shika already had a connection at the records office and told Naruto he'd score his papers for him once he turned eighteen. So why go back?

"I can only make assumptions about why your friend would want to go back to that place." Kakashi said. "But whatever the reason, I wanted to talk to you about it face to face."

"Why? What's it got to do with you?" Naruto moved away from the building and turned to face Kakashi.

"Without knowing the exact reason he went back, I'm not sure. But I have my guesses." He took a long drag and let it out slow. "I'll be around." Kakashi held Naruto's eyes to his one but the blond said nothing.

Lifting his hat at Naruto, Kakashi shot him a small smile and then walked toward the main entrance of the hotel. Naruto watched him go and wondered just what the hell Gaara was up to and what it was that Kakashi thought Gaara was up to.

"Shit." Naruto forgot to let Kakashi know to send word to Shika. As he watched the man disappear around the corner, Naruto decided he'd just have to get a hold of the cop liaison first thing tomorrow. Naruto was not going back inside and run the risk of seeing Sasuke.

He ran his hands through his dirty hair and decided to get back to Pierrepont. A shower and nap were at the top of his list. Right after was finding Gaara and shaking some sense into him. What the hell was he thinking? What if he had gotten caught… or worse? Naruto pushed those thoughts away.

Gaara had made it back but... Naruto couldn't help the hurt settling in him. The redhead never uttered a word about where he had gone.

Looking from The Palace to the alleyway where he and Gaara had first stumbled out from and then into Sasuke's private suite, had Naruto shaking his head. Before that night, he and Gaara would talk about everything. Before that night, they trusted each other and only each other.

Naruto pitched his cigarette when the side door to the club opened. For a second, he half hoped it was Sasuke coming to drag him back into his private suite. That was stupid, of course and not what Naruto even wanted. He turned the man down and it was the right thing to do.

But there was no mistaking the sunken feeling that washed over him as a young woman in a brightly sequined dress walked out and into the late afternoon sun.

"Hinata?"

There was a _whoosh_ of beads and sequins as she whipped around to Naruto's voice. "Naruto!" She beamed and rushed over. She took Naruto's hand into both of hers and squeezed. "I was hoping to run into you, today. Are you free for an early dinner?"

He smiled at the familiar silver eyes. He was glad to see her. He had wanted to catch up with his childhood friend but now was definitely not the time. Exhaustion and worry weighed on him. "I wish I could, but I need to get back to Pierrepont." He took his hand from hers and grabbed the hem of his grungy cotton shirt. "I need a good hosing down."

Hinata's smile widened. "Well, you're more than welcome to shower over at my place."

Naruto's hand quickly went to the back of his head and scrubbed his hair. "Hehe, thanks, Hinata, but I need to get back to my place."

Not being dissuaded, Hinata tugged on his hand and pulled him forward toward the main street. "Then I'll be happy to give you a lift. C'mon, my car is parked out front."

Hinata's insistence was palpable and Naruto's anxiety surged at the idea of having to turn down yet another unwanted advance. Things were different now. She was different and so was Naruto. It wasn't only Sasuke or the years that had passed between them but also Naruto's increasing awareness of her role in the Hyuga Clan. He hated himself for being suspicious of her motives but he wasn't sure to what extent Hinata's involvement was with Sakura or the opium. _She had to know about it_. He recalled the gleam in Hinata's eyes when she told him about her place within Neji's clan. Naruto's stomach turned and his head began to ache.

Hinata pulled him down the sidewalk past The Palace entrance to where a 1928 Pierce-Arrow Sedan was parked at the curb.

It suddenly occurred to him that Hinata had exited the side door rather than the front entrance. He opened his mouth to ask her about it when her driver stepped out.

"Lady Hinata. Back to the residence?" The driver's eyes briefly scanned Naruto.

"No, Torune. Please take us to Uchiha Sasuke's residence." Her driver, who had reached for the car door to open it for them, paused and again looked at Naruto, then to Hinata.

"Torune." Hinata's voice turned hard.

Naruto stilled. "Hinata, it's alright I-"

"No need, Naruto. Torune will do as he's told." Hinata's cold smile fell upon the driver and he bowed his head in apology.

"I meant no disrespect, Lady Hinata." He said as he held the door open for them both.

Climbing in, Naruto swallowed and smiled at his old friend. "Thanks for the lift. I hope it won't cause you too much trouble later."

Though she flashed him a warm smile, the blond didn't miss the ice in her stare. "I told you Naruto. I do what I want." And with that the car started and they pulled away from the curb.

* * *

As the dark sedan drove off, a dark-eyed man stared after them. Sasuke couldn't hear what had been said while the three had been standing at the sidewalk, but there was no mistaking that Naruto was leaving with that Hyuga woman.

Not long after Naruto left the suite, Sasuke walked out of the bathroom and downed the last of the whiskey. He began to pace back and forth, naked, damp from his shower and half drunk, wondering why he hadn't tried harder to convince the damn blond that California didn't hold all the answers. Nowhere did.

After listening to the blond spill his guts regarding that Akatsuki woman, Sasuke hadn't been able to resist grabbing Naruto & kissing him. Still not sure if it was Naruto's honesty or the possessiveness that had come over him, Sasuke pushed those questions away and clung only to the fact that the blond had kissed him back.

Even while trying to cling to his ridiculous morality, Sasuke had felt the blond desiring him back. Absentmindedly, Sasuke licked his bottom lip and chewed on it harshly. Naruto wanted him and Sasuke knew it but the street hood's hard-headed naivete was getting in the way.

He suddenly wanted to find Naruto. Without thinking about why, Sasuke got dressed and left the suite.

He walked to the club through the kitchen and then to the lobby. Naruto, it seemed, had already left and returned Pierrepont.

The front desk clerk looked up from his guestbook and immediately straightened at the sight of his boss approaching. The small frail-looking man turned the registry around for Sasuke's inspection but the Uchiha ignored him. Without meeting his employee's eyes, he snapped his fingers and motioned to the phone behind the old man. When the clerk grabbed for the phone stand, he fumbled, almost knocking the earpiece to the ground. Taking a breath, he steadied his hands and set the phone in front of his boss.

"Juugo. I need to return to the house, now." He hung up the phone just as a familiar golden head of hair walked past the glass lobby doors, and holding hands with a familiar Japanese woman.

Sasuke slowed his gait as he approached the glass doors. He could see the two exchanging words with the driver just before climbing into the luxury sedan. Sasuke opened the door and walked out onto the sidewalk as the car revved to life and drove off down the street.

A deep heated thrum went through him.

"Sasuke." Juugo was behind him, waiting.

Sasuke turned around and Juugo took a small step back at the dangerous look blazing in his boss's eyes. "I want Sasori to drive me back. You stay and help with prep."

"Yes, Sasuke." Juugo turned and rushed to find the ill-tempered redhead.

* * *

"It looks like we finally have some time alone together." Hinata reached forward and slid close the partition between the back seat and the driver. She then faced Naruto and again took his hand in hers.

"Hinata." Naruto smiled and pulled back his hand. In her eyes was the sweetness he remembered but just behind, a dark gleam glared through the silver.

She kept her eyes locked on Naruto. "Oh come now, we're both adults, not children anymore. We're free to do what we want with whoever we want." Hinata gave the blond her best sly grin. "I know all about you and Sasuke _and_ about you and that purple-haired woman."

Hinata glanced down at her hands and examined the satin gloves she was wearing. She looked back up at Naruto as she took them off. "All those girls I heard about. Are you going to tell me they meant more to you than some one-night stand?"

Naruto grimaced. "Hinata…"

"I remember the day you and Gaara left." She placed her gloves across her lap and reached into her purse pulling out a small bronze flask. After taking a drink, she offered it to Naruto. He shook his head.

"You and Gaara had this elaborate plan to get us all out. Remember?"

Naruto's mouth went dry. The months and years he had punished himself by thinking of all the horrible accusations his childhood friend would throw at him really hadn't done much to prepare him. Sickness settled in his stomach and he wished Hinata would make another pass at him rather than continue.

"Well, when Sakura and I found out you both escaped, we were at first shocked, naturally." Hinata took another drink. "But later we came to realize that you and Gaara probably had no choice. The rumors later confirmed our suspicions." Her voice stayed low and she lowered her eyes to the booze in her hand. "We heard about what happened when you both were sent to the basement."

Frozen in his seat, Naruto's eyes flicked with alert. He held his breath for a moment and waited.

Hinata stared back at him. "Is it true? Did they…" Her eyes searched his blue ones until he finally looked away. The former call girl dropped her eyes again. "Mizuki's boys boasted about Gaara and said you got what you deserved for humiliating Rasa in front of those bankers."

The sound of the car motor and the road beneath them gritted out a constant drone. Outside the car window, the Brooklyn streets beckoned Naruto with their lonely alleyways. He'd prefer blame and accusations over detailing the pain of that wretched night. Brownstones and fruit peddlers whisked by the glass, barely giving Naruto time to linger his gaze on them. With the sun no longer overhead, the city's shadows played over the neighborhoods and cooled off the concrete that surrounded them, making Naruto long to be back wandering the dusk drenched borough like he used to. The only time Naruto had come anywhere close to talking about that night was when he and Gaara were taken in by Otoha. They hadn't had to tell her much in the way of specifics that night. Just a look at their wounds had been enough for the teenage girl to piece together what happened on her own.

"You don't have to talk about it, Naruto. I only bring it up because I want you know that I don't care about any of it." She rested her hand on his thigh, caressing it. Leaning into him, she let her hand play along the inner seam of his cords. "You did what you had to do and ran because you had no choice. What happened hasn't changed how I feel about you."

Never being the fool that everyone pegged him to be, Naruto turned to face Hinata. Her ill-timed touch wasn't lost on him. The moment he turned down her previous advance, she went straight for the guilt and tried again. He reminded himself that these were skills she had honed in order to survive and that she was not the Hinata of his childhood, but the woman she had been forced to become.

Naruto took her hand and pulled it off of him. "Stop it, Hinata." He wasn't upset so much at her behavior but at the part he played in leaving his childhood friend behind. He would've liked to talk to that old friend today instead of the woman in front of him now and then pushed that sadness and guilt away as he firmly gripped her hand.

Hurt flashed across Hinata's face. Forcing himself to calm, he softened his eyes and he released her hand. "I know what you're doing." He said.

"What am I doing, Naruto? Trying to comfort a dear friend? Or do you think you're too good for me now?"

The blond bristled. "You know I don't. We're not kids holding hands in the schoolyard anymore, Hinata. I don't-" He knew what he was going to say but bit it back, snapping his mouth shut.

A wry smile touched her lips and she uncapped the booze once more. "You don't feel the same for me."

"Hinata."

"Of course you don't. Now that you share your bed with one of the most powerful members of the Uchiha Clan, why would someone like me interest you, right?"

"That's enough, Hinata." He said. "Sasuke has nothing to do with this."

"Doesn't he?"

"We weren't more than children then. You were my dearest friend, but we can't pretend it was more than that."

Hinata shot him a look "Were?"

A sigh left him and he shook his head. "I didn't mean it that way."

"He's just using you." Hinata's voice fell flat like a brick. "He doesn't care about you and you can't trust him."

"Can I trust you?"

Her eyes relaxed and brightened. "Of course you can trust me, Naruto."

"Then tell me why you left the club from the side door and not through the front lobby."

Surprise and realization washed through her silver eyes.

Of course Naruto wasn't positive Hinata knew about Sakura but he had a hunch she did. He watched darkness cloud her eyes and knew he guessed right.

"I don't know what-"

"You said I could trust you."

"Naruto-"

"Tell me why, Hinata."

"I wasn't-"

"You weren't?"

"I was visiting Sakura." Her voice was strained. "I come by and we catch up. She prefers I come to The Palace rather than her going to the Hyuga-"

"But she _does_ visit you. Doesn't she?"

Her silver eyes widened. "How do-"

"Can I still trust you, Hinata?" Naruto's patience was thinning.

Hinata's face twisted and a deep scowl dug into her features. "You don't know anything, Naruto! You go ahead and think what you want but don't you dare look at me with those judgemental eyes after everything you've done!"

The sting was sharp.

"I know about the opium. I know about Sakura." He didn't look away. Naruto thought about saying more but knew he couldn't trust her, and the thought pained him.

Blame and bitterness glared from dark gray eyes. "You left me there."

Her words shot through and through him, leaving a large hollow weight in his chest. "Hinata, I'm... I'm so sorry..."

Cold eyes regarded him as dark laughter poured from her. "You mistake me for Sakura, Na- _ru-to_." A thin smile pressed into her face. "You expect me to just forgive and forget?" Hinata reached for her flask and took a long swig from it. "We were both punished after you and Gaara escaped. They tried to beat confessions out of us and when they were satisfied we didn't know where you both had run off to, that little pink-haired princess got sent to a cotton mill and I got sent to Orochimaru's."

All the air left Naruto's lungs and he worked to stay the sting now in his eyes.

Naruto reached out for her arm but she recoiled from his touch and shot him a defiant look. "And yet I _survived_. You and that pink tart may think you're better than me because I'm the one bearing this..." She lifted up her wrist and flashed the tattoo. "But I'm not ashamed of who I am and I won't apologize for how I've chosen to live my life!" Angry and out of breath, she looked at Naruto and waited, daring him to judge her.

"Sakura's your friend." His words were soft but a firm command behind them. "I'm your friend and so is Gaara, or did you forget?"

Her lips turned up into an icy grin. "Like you said, _Naruto,_ we're not children anymore."

Naruto shook his head. "No, Hinata. I don't believe you."

He saw her flinch at his words and pushed on. "You will never convince me that the friendship we had back then wasn't real. Or that even now, you feel nothing for me or Gaara or Sakura." He swallowed hard. "I know… I know I failed you, but you _did_ survive. You don't need to keep on this way. You're better than this!"

"Better than _what_ , Naruto?" She barked at him accusingly.

"Better than using your friends to gain power and influence." His sharp words cut through her brave front and she lowered her chin.

"I know _you_ , Hinata." His voice cracked. "No matter what you've been through or what you've done to survive, you're still my friend. And Gaara's and Sakura's. The bond we had was real and no tattoo will ever change that."

Naruto reached for her again. "I don't expect to be forgiven for leaving you behind but the blame is on me, no one else." He squeezed her hand now in his. "Don't let your anger at me turn into bitterness towards the whole world."

Hinata finally pulled her hand away and turned to stare out the car window. "It's too late, Naruto. I'm not the same weak little girl you remember. I'm hard because I've had to be."

"I never thought you were weak, Hinata. You're strong now because you were strong then."

She turned back and faced him.

"I'll always care about you-"

"But not the way you care about Sasuke." She interrupted; her eyes questioning and sad.

He opened his mouth to respond but nothing would come.

"I saw the way you looked at each other." She lowered her eyes and began to put her gloves back on. A bitter smile ghosted across her face. "That day I came to the club with Neji, there was this look you both had in your eyes and I knew... that you cared for him." She turned her eyes up to Naruto. "And he for you."

"I… I'm sorry." Naruto's words sounded hollow. He didn't try to deny his feelings for Sasuke. He knew it was too late for that.

She nodded at him. "Ya know, I would have given anything had you just once, looked at me that way." Her breath hitched and she turned from him to again stare out the window.

"Hinata."

Just then the car slowed and Naruto realized they had arrived at Pierrepont. "I believe this is where I must leave you." Her voice was strained but soft.

She turned back to him and he opened his mouth but she held out her hand and shook her head. "Please. No more words."

He nodded slowly and the car door opened.

"Naruto." He turned back to her. She glanced at her driver and then back at Naruto, leveling her eyes at the blond. "Be careful, Naruto." He creased his brows and then lifted his head slightly as his eyes cleared in understanding. He saw her slightly nod at him and raise her eyebrows, signaling to him that his assumption was correct. "That running board is a bit loose. Mind your step."

"Thank you, Hinata," he said softly and a bright gleam flashed in his eyes.

She brushed the air with her hand, waving him off and forcing a smile. "Happy to have been able to give you a lift. Think nothing of it. Oh and please be sure to say hello to Sasuke for me. Tell him Neji sends his regards."

Her smile faltered just a bit but he shot her a sincere grin just the same. "I will." He held her eyes to his, then turned and walked into Pierrepont Manor.

* * *

Naruto used his key and wandered into the old house. He could have just gone straight to his basement apartment but decided to have a look around and see if Gaara was in the main house before he headed downstairs.

It always made him feel just a bit uncomfortable to be walking around the pristine mansion whenever he was covered in dirt and grime, so he took care not to touch anything as he made his way through the lavish manor. Glancing around corners and down hallways, he found his way to the garage and noticed Sasuke's car was gone and so was the Chevrolet. Even the old beat up Ford was missing. Meaning Gaara was most likely at the club and not downstairs.

Shutting the garage door, he turned and headed to the kitchen. With a quick glance around the kitchen, he grabbed an apple off the table and bit into it, using his sleeve to wipe the sweet stickiness from his mouth.

Careful to lock the doors behind him, he headed to the lower apartment still munching on the apple. His stomach was rumbling and he knew the fruit wouldn't be enough. Naruto wanted nothing more than to raid the icebox for a meal, but the idea of a hot shower and his bed pulled harder. than his hunger.

"Gaara?" No answer.

Naruto Locked the front door and headed to his room, tossing the apple core in the bedroom trash bin. The stink of the docks and the drama from Sasuke and then Hinata wore heavily on him. _And let's not forget that little tidbit about Gaara sneaking off to P.S. One,_ he thought and scrubbed face with his hands. His head was pounding and he hoped a hot shower would help ease at least some of the ache.

Naruto pulled off his shirt and undid his pants, leaving them strewn about the hallway as he walked to the washroom. He turned the copper fixtures and let the water warm.

He pulled the lever and stood under the heated water. His mind went to Hinata. Reaching out, his hands found the wall in front of him and his head fell forward. As water poured and coursed down the back of his head, tears filled his eyes.

Those long ago nights when he and Gaara had first been on the streets, Naruto had tormented himself every night, thinking the worst and letting guilt ravage him. Of course Sakura and Hinata would have been questioned. But hearing Hinata voice his worst fears had been too much. In the car he had bitten back the pain, focused only on trying to get her to wake up from the spell of power the crime world had put on her. Now alone, all Naruto's restraint fell away and he sobbed underneath cascade of water.

His breath hitched and he swallowed his pain. Naruto opened his eyes, thinking about the car ride home. Hinata's soft warning to be careful had let him know he had reached her, even if only a little and he was grateful for that much.

Deepening his breath, Naruto raised his head and reached for the soap, lathering it through his hair and then all over his body. The warm water begun to relax him and he closed his eyes again, this time enjoying the feeling of finally being clean. He turned around rinsing his shoulders and letting his weary mind go where it wanted.

Hinata and her warning. Gaara sneaking off to Public School One and Sasuke asking him to stay. Konan and her goddamn games. Everything came at him. Konan had been a surprise. Not only was she back in his life but she was the head of the Akatsuki. Not wanting to think about how her future meeting with Sasuke would play out, his mind instead drifted back to the Italian Deli deep in the heart of Chinatown.

* * *

" _Why are you angry with me, Naru?"_

 _With his eyes never leaving her face, Naruto took a long hit from his cigarette and let out a sigh. He wondered whether or not he should tell her how he had waited. How he would scan the neighborhoods day in and day out, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, as he and the gang strolled through the Lower East Side trying to score. Instead he decided to let her know why he was currently agitated by her usual games._

" _How long have we been here, Konan?" Naruto watched her brows crease at his words._

" _You and I have been friends for a long-"_

" _No." Naruto's tone was hard. "How long have we been sitting here in this shop?" He saw the question hit home and Konan pulled back her brows in understanding._

" _Naruto-"_

" _You never thought I was a fool before." Naruto did his best to keep his voice down but there was no mistaking the edge in his words. "You sit there smiling, trying to get me to agree to your terms while playing me."_

 _Konan snapped her mouth shut and leaned back into her chair._

" _Not a single customer this whole time. Not one." Naruto tore his eyes away from her. He pulled another drag from his smoke while reaching for his coffee cup. "I knew the moment I walked in here that this place was a front." He let out a small half-hearted chuckle. "Not a single customer. The Italian waiter's shoes are nice. I have a pair of my own, in fact. And when I slammed my hands on the table just to prove my point, I saw him rush out with one hand hovering over his waist." A pained smile appeared on Naruto's face. "Congrats on hiring an efficient crew."_

 _Konan leaned forward, her amber eyes pleading. "Naruto… I had to take precautions. Please understand."_

" _That's the thing, Konan, I do understand. You didn't have to lie to me. You could have led me straight into Hell's Kitchen and I wouldn't have batted an eye." Naruto turned his blue eyes away from hers and took a deep breath. "Take the offer, Konan. It's the best chance you'll get. Sasuke won't double cross you."_

" _You expect me to trust him?"_

" _I'm asking you to trust me." Naruto said._

 _She nodded at him and gave in. "Alright, Naru. I'll take the deal." She drank the last of her coffee, relaxing somewhat at the now eased tension. She set the coffee cup back down and cautiously rested her eyes on Naruto._

" _What?"_

" _Nothing." Konan said and Naruto rolled his eyes._

" _Go ahead and ask." He continued to smoke his cigarette, hoping the tobacco would ease his building nervousness. He knew what was coming. How could she resist? Of all the people who were burning to ask about his and Sasuke's affair, she was the one he was most likely to give an answer to. After all, she had first hand knowledge, didn't she? His stomach tightened. He watched her chew her bottom lip, searching for the right words and hoped she wouldn't._

" _The Uchiha was a bit of a surprise."_

 _A small relief went through him "Yeah. Wait. What do you mean by_ a bit _?" Naruto leaned forward. "Are you saying you weren't shocked?"_

 _Konan opened her mouth and shook her head. "I don't know." She said. "I mean, I was shocked when I heard about the two of you but…"_

" _But what?" The tightening in his gut returned._

" _When you and I were together... sometimes it felt like you were holding back. I never knew why until I found out about you and the Uchiha." A smile lifted at the corner of her mouth._

 _Naruto shifted in his chair. "I never held back from you, Konan." He tugged on his smoke. "It was you who always held back from me."_

 _A rosy blush colored her cheeks. "Naru, I don't mean holding back in the relationship. I meant holding back while…"_

 _Naruto coughed up the smoke from the cigarette, mid-puff._

" _After my initial shock wore off, I thought about how it was with us and figured it made sense."_

 _He stared gape-faced at her. "I never held back while-" The blond glanced around the deli he already knew was empty. "Did I?" He whispered. "And what do you mean,_ made sense _?" He said louder._

 _She let out a laugh at Naruto's expression and was momentarily reminded her of their days spent rolling around on the floor of the abandoned church shed. They had laughed a lot back then._

" _Konan."_

" _What? I don't know, Naruto. It just… it always seemed like you were holding back."_

" _How?" He asked._

" _You tell me." She raised a brow at him. "What is it about Uchiha Sasuke? What do you see in him?"_

 _The question he'd been dodging sense the whole mess began. He fidgeted with a napkin on the table and then folded it and put it in his pocket. He turned his blue eyes up at her. "He challenges me."_

 _A softness came to her eyes. "In what way?"_

" _In every way." He closed his mouth and his heart began to pound. He never voiced it or even admitted it until now and it was more than he wanted to confess to anyone._

" _You care for him." Her voice was soft but held no bitterness._

 _He shrugged. "I don't know. There's times when I think I do and then there's times when I want to punch his face in." He gave her a weak smile. It's a toss up."_

 _She smiled back at him. "Drives you crazy?"_

" _Yeah." He crushed out his cigarette. "But like even with all his temper tantrums and ego trips, he's never dishonest about it. He is who he is. Sasuke's not afraid to let me see his bad side or his good side." As soon as the words left his mouth, Naruto regretted them. A small flash of pain washed over Konan's face and he hated himself for hurting her._

" _Naruto I had to-"_

" _Yeah, I know you had your reasons, Konan." Naruto turned away from the her gaze. He didn't want to see her emotions. He didn't want to know whether or not she cared for him back then. With all the realizations and impromptu confessions this meeting had exposed, he rather just leave things as they were._

" _I have to go. Sasuke's gonna want an update and I need to get back to Brooklyn." Not caring that the deli was an obvious ruse, Naruto reached into his corduroys and pulled out his cash. Flipping through the bills, he threw down more than enough and then looked back up at her. "I'll send word through Shika to let you know when and where to meet with Sasuke."_

" _You think he's going to want a meeting?" The tinge of sadness in her eyes was replaced by a look of surprise._

 _Naruto gave her a small smile. "Oh, I have a feeling he's gonna insist on it." He stood up and then walked over to her._

 _They stood face to face for a moment, and Naruto was reminded of all the reasons he had once cared for her. Konan leaned in closer but Naruto turned his head away from her advance. She paused, letting her cheek brush against his and spoke softly into his ear. "I'm sorry, Naru. For everything."_

 _Nodding at her, he gave her another small smile and headed for the door. "Wait for my word and… I'll see ya soon."_

* * *

The thud of the soap hitting the tub brought Naruto out of his haze. He took a deep sigh and picked it up, groaning from the soreness down his back and through his legs. There was no part of this body that didn't ache.

Konan and Sasuke were so different from each other, he thought. Of course they both were attracted to the power of the criminal underworld but Sasuke never pretended to be anything other than what he was, a ruthless mobster who showed zero shame for the life he led.

Konan wouldn't dare reach out for what she wanted if it meant exposing her heart. Sasuke, on the other hand, would prefer to go down cursing himself for showing vulnerability, rather than risk having what he wanted slip through his fingers.

Blue eyes shot open. _Stay with me tonight._ Naruto's heart began to pound and the soap in his hand froze on his stomach.

Sasuke's words rang in the blond's ears. The Uchiha had asked Naruto to stay.

Naruto's hands immediately ran through his hair and he squinted under the spray of the water. He opened his mouth letting it fill with water and then spat it out. Had Sasuke put his feelings on the line to ask Naruto to stay? What about their business only, rule? Naruto creased his brows. He and Gaara were leaving for California in a few months. Sasuke knew that. Naruto wasn't going to change his mind about leaving New York and the hard-headed Uchiha had no intention of leaving his clan. There was no hope for the two of them to be anything more than whatever they were now and Sasuke knew that too. So why?

Ever since their fight that day the Hyuga had visited, Naruto had assumed Sasuke's interest in him was nothing other than physical. The man was used to getting what he wanted, _when_ he wanted and that Naruto was nothing more than a convenient fuck to pass the time with. Why else would Sasuke offering him up to Neji that way? Naruto wouldn't deny he had hoped there might be more for the two of them but with Sasuke's life cemented within the clan, he knew there was no sense holding his breath, hoping the Uchiha would change.

During the morning they had shared together, Sasuke had made it clear to Naruto he wouldn't abandon his clan. The blond had only pushed the question out of some small hope that the two of them could perhaps see each other again. Minus all the shooting and cops. After all, wasn't Sasuke tired of always looking over his shoulder? Of living with the constant threat of jail or worse?

" _You sound like my brother." Sasuke lazily scrubbed the soapy washcloth in his hand across his lover's chest._

 _Naruto went still. Sasuke's breath warmed against the back of his neck as he moved the higher, soaping his shoulders and neck. "I was sorry to hear about Itachi's death."_

 _The hand paused and then let the rag fall into the warm water. Sasuke then reached for the bottle of Fitch's on the stand next to the tub and poured a good amount onto Naruto's hair._

" _I don't have any brothers or sisters. I guess Gaara would count as a brother, though we've only known each other since we were five or six." Naruto closed his eyes to Sasuke's fingers working over his scalp and hummed out a slow deep breath. "Mmmm… I can't pretend to know how it feels to lose a brother, but I can imagine how it would hurt to lose someone that close to me."_

 _The Uchiha's hands paused before continuing to work the blond locks into lather. His fingers found their way to Naruto's neck and his thumbs gently dug at the tension he found there, earning him a soft but audible moan._

 _Naruto held silent for a second and then opened his mouth. "Doesn't it make sense to want to leave the lifestyle that stole your brother from you?"_

 _Sasuke stopped the massage to reach into the water. His hand palmed the inside of Naruto's thigh before moving to brush against his cock, his fingers teasing and searching. Finally finding the cloth at the bottom of the tub, he grabbed it and pulled it up, letting it brush against Naruto's growing erection. The blond arched his neck at the sensation._

 _With his head turned, the blond watched as a sleek ivory hand placed the wash rag on a stand next to the tub, and then took hold of the water pitcher next to it._

" _Close your eyes."_

 _Naruto closed his eyes. With surprising gentleness, Sasuke poured the warm water over his lover's head, rinsing the soap from his hair while his other hand threaded through the soft golden strands._

" _Gaara is all you have for family. I have my parents and my clan to think of. With Itachi gone…" Sasuke's eye twitched as he continued to pour water over the soapy blond locks. "I have to hold to my responsibility and make sure I do what is necessary for the survival of my clan."_

 _Neither spoke while Sasuke continued to rinse Naruto's hair. Once done, Sasuke set the pitcher down and tilted his head to kiss the warm pulsing skin on Naruto's neck. The blond arched and reached back to fist the crime boss's damp dark locks. "Mmm… shame. Something tells me you'd love California."_

 _Sasuke grabbed his lover's chin. Gripping hard, he pulled Naruto's mouth up to his own, silencing him with a harsh kiss. Both his hands then reached down and took hold of the stiffening cock between the young man's thighs._

 _Naruto moaned into Sasuke's mouth. One pale hand continued to work the shaft while the other, reached lower, tugging and kneading his balls before pushing back into the slit below them._

" _Sasuke…" Short, quick pants were now coming from Naruto and the Uchiha responded by biting Naruto's lower lip, increasing his strokes and sliding a finger into the tight heat of Naruto's ass. "Uuugh. Nnngh." Deep grunts and groans poured from the blond's mouth and into Sasuke's as Naruto tried to push into the grip on his shaft while simultaneously fucking the finger deep inside him._

 _Hooking his legs around Naruto's to keep him from sliding lower, Sasuke spoke into his mouth, "Tell me, Naruto." He then added a second finger and blue eyes rolled back at the sensation._

 _Naruto writhed in heat as he arched and flexed against his lover. How Sasuke managed to send him over the edge with every touch, Naruto didn't know. All he knew was that the man had managed to unleash his every fantasy and desire and Naruto wasn't ready for all to end just yet._

 _Naruto threw back his head and closed his eyes as incoherent words of pleading fell from his mouth._

 _Sasuke bit into Naruto's tan shoulder and complied._

Naruto blinked the memory away and shoved his head under the spray to rinse the shampoo. He scrubbed his hair with his hands and turned around letting the water wash the soap off his shoulders and down his back. The growing erection between his legs was all the proof he needed. Of course he still desired Sasuke, there was never a doubt. It was the consequences of that desire that worried him.

The water began to cool so Naruto rinsed off the last of the soap and then shut the shower off. Ignoring his hard-on, he wrapped a nearby towel around his waist and headed to his room. He threw himself face first onto the bed not caring about his bed sheets or his still damp hair. He was beyond exhausted.

Sasuke, Gaara, Konan and now Hinata. Each one of his problems was quickly snowballing and there was nothing he could do to stop it or slow it down. His feelings for Sasuke were getting harder to push away and it looked like he and Gaara would now have to survive a clan war if they hope to make it to October let alone California. Add whatever the fuck his best friend was up to by sneaking off to P.S. One, and Naruto had himself one fine mess that he'd gotten himself into.

The money he and Gaara stood to make from this foolish endeavor would be cold comfort if anything happened to either one of them.

Naruto rolled over and stretched his hands behind his head, trying to distract himself from the irritating discomfort under his towel. He _could_ take care of it himself and had plenty of material to get the job done. But as his eyes began to close, he knew that he'd most likely fall asleep mid jerk.

He let out a long yawn and mind swam around the images of Sasuke and Gaara. What exactly had Sasuke been offering back in the club suite? Why had Gaara gone back to P.S. One and why was he keeping it from Naruto? As the two men crowded his mind, Naruto's eyes closed. One man seemed to be maneuvering into his heart while the other was slowly slipping away, he thought. A slight crease etched between his brows and he fell into a deep restless sleep.

* * *

The sound of voices woke Naruto before he even bothered to open his eyes. The haze of sleep kept him from making out what was being said but as soon as he heard the sound of a woman laughing, he opened his eyes and stretched. He'd know that giggle anywhere.

Other than a faint moonlight falling through his bedroom window, his room was dark, hinting that he had slept away the entire afternoon. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he squinted at the alarm clock next to his bed. It was a little after eight and Naruto felt a tinge of guilt at not having helped prep the nightclub for tomorrow night.

 _Gaara,_ he thought, and jumped up from his bed, only to realize he was completely naked. He had fallen asleep wearing only a towel, which was now lying crumpled at the foot of the bed.

Throwing open the closet door, he grabbed a clean pair of cords and the tank top Sasuke had given him not too long ago. He paused, looking it over, remembering how he had wore one similar to it on the day he first met the mobster. His had been one of his cotton shirts with the sleeves and collar cut out. The one Sasuke had given him to wear the night of the shootout, was tailor-made. It was fitted and soft. He pulled it on and knew those weren't the only reasons he liked wearing it.

Of course he had immediately known why Sasuke had left the top for him. That night Naruto had been drunk and bruised from his run in with one of the hit men but he had had enough brain power left in him to know _why_ the Uchiha had left that shirt _in particular_.

The way Sasuke's eyes had roamed over Naruto's body the Sunday afternoon they met still made the blond's blood heat whenever he thought about it. And yet he had worn it for him, hadn't he? Knowing full well why Sasuke wanted to see him in it then and knowing full well why he was choosing to wear it now.

Before his brain had time to offer up why he probably _shouldn't_ wear it, Naruto was out the bedroom door.

"Hey Naruto!" A smile and a pair of soft green eyes met him as he walked into the sitting area.

"Sakura! Hey, how you been?" Naruto almost cringed at the excitement on his voice. He hadn't wanted to overdo it but he also didn't want her to hear the worry he was trying to hold back.

The pink-haired woman beamed back at him. "I'm good. Welcome back."

"Heh, thanks." He said and flashed her a grin. He could see the redness in her eyes and knew that even though she was in good spirits now, she had been crying only a little while ago.

"Sleep well, Naru?" Gaara came out of the kitchen holding two bottles of soda pop and offered one to the blond.

"Hey, Gaara. Yeah, I did! Ah, no thanks." He said, eyeing the cold drinks. "I'm gonna head up to the kitchen and pick off the leftovers. I'm starving."

Gaara paused and looked Naruto over. "You might wanna steer clear of Sasuke."

The blond was already headed for the door when he turned back around. "Why? What's up?"

"No sure." He said, keeping his eyes leveled at his best friend. "He's been on the warpath since we got back from the docks. He yelled at Tenten."

"Shit." Naruto knew there would be consequences for rejecting Sasuke's offer to stay for the night, but he didn't think the man's temper would flare so far as to take it out on Tenten. Naruto expected another round of the silent treatment with a side of angry scowls and curses for good measure. Not this. "I should probably talk to him." Naruto headed back to the door and slipped on his boots.

Gaara watched his best friend with interest. He wanted to tell him it probably wasn't a good idea to confront Sasuke, but the earnest look on the blond's face held him back. After all, he still didn't know if things were _serious_ , as Tenten had put it, between Sasuke and Naruto. So Gaara figured it was probably best to take a back seat to the situation, just in case.

"Naru."

The blond stopped halfway out the door and looked back. "Yeah?"

"Sakura's gonna be staying in my room for a while. I'm gonna take the couch."

"Gaara…" she said with disdain, obviously not pleased with the redhead's chivalrous offer.

"We agreed, Sakura," Gaara told her, and then spoke again to Naruto. "I wanted to let you-"

"Hey, no problem!" Naruto grinned from ear to ear and gave the pink lady a nod and a wink. "Happy to have ya here, Sakura." Instant relief washed over him. He had no idea if Gaara knew about the opium and the brothel, but it looked as though he might. Either way, this meant that Sakura wouldn't be alone. "Make yourself at home and heh, I apologize in advance for my living habits."

Sakura laughed and gave him a sly look. "Oh I've already witnessed your flare for home decor."

"Huh?" He shot a confused look at her, then Gaara.

"I picked up the trail of clothes you left strewn down the hallway and in the washroom." Gaara said. "I tossed them in your room while you were sleeping."

Naruto gave them both a sheepish grin. "Heh, sorry about that. I was pretty out of it when I got back from the club. Thanks, Gaara." Naruto again headed for the door.

The redhead's voice spoke up from behind him. "If you plan to continue sleeping in the buff, do me a favor and lock your bedroom door from now on."

Sakura began giggling and Naruto's whole body flushed. With his hand still on the doorknob, he didn't dare turn back and face them. "Eeh… kay," he mumbled and bolted out.

* * *

All Naruto wanted to do was eat. Earlier in Sasuke's suite, he had part of a steak sandwich and then an apple after, but both were hardly meals and both felt like days ago.

He entered the kitchen and looked around. His stomach was screaming at him. But as soon as he took hold of the handle on the icebox, he closed his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. There would be no enjoying a meal knowing Sasuke was tearing into everyone because Naruto had turned him down… again.

The blond winced at the thought. Of course he hadn't _wanted_ to turn Sasuke down but it was the right thing to do. _Wasn't it_?

He walked out of the kitchen and headed down the hall. Memories of Yamato's lecture about the fourth floor being off limits came back to him. No one was allowed without a direct invitation. He chewing on that though when he passed the library and stopped to look inside. Each wall in the room contained floor to ceiling shelves of books. Hardbound and colorful, books of every size fought for space amongst the racks. Naruto wondered how many of them Sasuke actually read and then smirked at the thought. _That arrogant bastard's probably read them all_.

Wanting to try and talk to Sasuke before it got too late, Naruto decided to stop stalling. He moved through the foyer and then across the receiving room toward the main staircase.

Looking around at the opulence helped him understand how hard it would be for Sasuke to give it all up. The criminal lifestyle obviously paid well and kept the young Uchiha's need for control satisfied. Naruto shook his head. The man had one hell of a possessive streak in him. Still, he thought with a smirk, it wasn't always a bad thing, being an object of Sasuke's interest. The blond quickly shoved that line of thinking back down as he neared the staircase. It was a bad idea to be in that headspace when he confronted the Uchiha. Naruto had no skill when it came to hiding his feelings and the damn mobster knew it.

Trying not to think of how pissed Yamato would be if he found out, Naruto slowly began up the single stretch of steps. The second floor landing split in two and he took the steps on the right leading up to the third floor. Once reaching the third landing, he had to wind around the left of the railing to another single set of stairs that led up to the fourth floor. Just as he was rounding the third floor railing, a voice drifted down from the floor above.

"Let me know when you wanna do this again, eh?" Looking up Naruto saw Sasori coming from down from the fourth floor. "You were always my favorite."

"Hn. Somehow I don't believe I'm the first one you've said that too." Sasuke was only a few steps behind the redhead and Naruto's breath caught when both men looked over and met eyes with the blond.

"Eh, Naruto." Sasori called. "Gaara said you was passed out in your room. Feelin' better?"

Naruto did his best to not break eye contact with Sasori and look over at the Uchiha. He could feel the mobster's eyes searing into him. "Uh, heh… yeah." His heart was pounding but kept on. "Guess I was more tired than I thought. Slept the whole day away."

"Ya owe me, blondie. Ten made me an' Sai take the roof. That bastard almost blew us to kingdom come," Sasori spat out with disgust. "Think the fucker's color blind. Green wire, blue wire, tch."

A strained grin came to Naruto's face. "Sorry, Sas. I'll make it up to you."

Naruto finally let his gaze fall on Sasuke. The gangster's eyes were on fire. Although, he was positive the Uchiha had noticed his choice of clothing by the way the man's eyes flicked up suddenly, the blond could barely read anything other than anger in the dark eyes. His own heart was drumming in his chest. _What was Sasori doing with Sasuke? And that bit about 'you always were my favorite,' what was that?_ Trying to remember why he had decided to incur the mobster's wrath by breaking the fourth floor rules, Naruto swallowed around his now dry mouth and forced another smile. "I was hoping to talk to you," he said.

Sasuke's face remained hard and unreadable. "I'll keep you posted, Sasori," he said without so much as glancing at the redhead.

"Sure thing, Sasuke." As he walked toward Naruto, Sasori gave the blond a sly grin and raised his brows at him. "Have a good night, Blondie." He slapped him on his back and headed downstairs.

Naruto and Sasuke remained still.

"Can we talk?" The blond held his breath. "Sasuke?"

"No one is allowed on the fourth floor without permission."

Naruto cringed at the hard tone of his boss's voice. "I know, I'm sorry but-"

"And I'm busy." Sasuke's eyes steeled. He didn't know why Naruto was here or what he wanted and he didn't care. He was tired of getting turned down and he was beyond pissed that the damn blond chose some cheap tramp over staying with him.

Naruto bristled at Sasuke's words. "Yeah, you looked _busy_."

Sasuke smirked and a dark gleam reached his eyes. "Do you have a problem with how I keep my schedule?" It wasn't hard to pick up on Naruto's insinuation. The blond was not happy. Whether because of his meeting Sasori or Sasuke's rudeness, the Uchiha didn't care. Provoking the blond was satisfying.

A sinking feeling came over Naruto. "No. Not at all, Sasuke." The blond took a half step back. "Sorry to bother you," he said, then turned around and walked back across the landing. He had let his jealousy show and received a healthy dose of the truth thrown back at him. Of course Sasuke would find someone else after Naruto turned him down. He was ruthless crime boss, not some lovesick teenager. And hadn't Naruto told him flat out that he'd never change his mind? _Serves you right_ , he thought to himself. _Baka._

Sasuke didn't know why the blond called off so easily but he didn't like it. "What you had to say was so important that now you're walking away?"

Naruto knew Sasuke was baiting him but he wasn't in the mood to play. "Looks like it," he said and continued down the stairs.

Rage swelled up within the Uchiha. "Then don't ever set foot on the fourth floor again!"

"Don't worry, I _won't_."

A door above slammed hard just as Naruto reached the first floor of the mansion. He hurried his way through the large home and back down to his apartment.

"Naru, Hey I thought-"

But Naruto ignored his best friend's words as blew right through the front door and past Gaara and Sakura.

Grabbing his wallet off his nightstand, Naruto turned back around and headed out. "Don't wait up," he called over his shoulder as he walked out the front door and slammed it close behind him.

* * *

Naruto stood bent over with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. It had been too long since he and Gaara had raced through the alleys and the blond was grossly out of shape. His lungs pulled hard and he stood up slow, looking around at the near pitch-black neighborhood. The moon wasn't full yet and though it only provided minimal light, it had been enough to help him to navigate his way down the Brooklyn alleys. He had almost missed a fire escape rung somewhere near the Brooklyn Bridge and had it not been for fact that he had aimed for the second to the last rung, giving him a second chance at the bottom one, he might have ended up with a nasty leg injury for his lax in judgement.

The surroundings told him he was on Flushing but as he looked around, he wasn't sure how far down he was. His anger had led the way and Naruto had simply gone along for the ride. Sasuke's shit-eating grin had been too much. The way the damn Uchiha had taken pleasure to imply that his meeting with Sasori hadn't been entirely professional had pushed Naruto's jealousy full-throttle. Then somewhere after scaling and leaping his fifth or sixth dumpster, the realization that he was in fact neck-deep and green with jealousy, surged up a wrath within him like never before. Breathing hard and staring off into the darkness, Naruto wasn't sure who he hated more. Sasuke or himself.

With wicked betrayal his thoughts settled on Sasori's comment about having met Sasuke at Orochimaru's brothel. W _here he used to work,_ Naruto thought bitterly and lifted his eyes to the tenement in front of him. Naruto didn't want to think about their meeting or the details about how the two first met. All Naruto wanted to do was find another alleyway and keep going until the muscles in his body screamed with matching rage, helping to out shout the thoughts that were now trying to push their way in.

Naruto walked toward the apartment building and turned the corner, making his way to the front. He would have to cross the street to the other set of tenements if he wanted to stick to the alleys. Before he neared the sidewalk a lean shadow jumped into view on the concrete in front of him. He skidded to a stop, looking up and to his right at the second floor fire escape landing.

A dark figure stood looking down at him. The man's hands were shoved into his pockets and Naruto immediately recognized the wild straw of silver shadowed hair.

"Kakashi."

"Naruto."

With nimble grace, Kakashi hopped the railing and scrambled to the ladder below. He then climbed down the metal rungs and dropped to the ground; all this without making the slightest sound. The blond was impressed.

"Are you stalking me?"

"Hardly. A call came into the station about some blond kid jumping dumpsters and swinging from the fire escapes. Of course I wasn't positive it was you, but I had a hunch."

"Really," he answered flatly. Naruto couldn't help being suspicious. "And I'm supposed to believe you're here on a hunch?"

"Oiy, Oiy!" The one-eyed man held up his hands in surrender. " Boy, when you two fight, there's really no safe ground, is there?"

"What the hell is that-"

"After I saw you at The Palace," Kakashi cut in, "I went to inside to talk to Sasuke about some rumors I heard regarding the Akatsuki and the kid nearly took my head off. So when the call came in, I figured it might be you trying to blow off some steam."

Naruto's body went stiff. He decided not to comment on Kakashi's remark about his and Sasuke's fight and instead focused on the new information. "What rumor about the Akatsuki?"

The older man shoved his hands into his pockets and settled his eye on the blond. "Not sure it's my place to say."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Fine. Then that means we're done here. So if you don't mind." he moved past the older man toward the sidewalk.

"Looks like you're out of practice." Naruto looked back just as Kakashi jerked his chin and glanced down at rip in Naruto's cords. His left knee was shredded. He had hooked his shoe going over one of dumpsters and ended up inside it. Some asshole had tossed a few bricks into the trash and Naruto skinned his knee on them when he fell in.

"So what?" he said.

Kakashi ignored the blond's tone. "So maybe I know a better way to release that pent up anger of yours."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" He turned, fully facing the white-haired man with fists clenched.

"Naruto, your mind is dirtier than mine," he laughed. "I was only offering you some training, if you're interested." He took a few steps closer to the blond and without warning, threw a left hook straight at the blond's face. Naruto caught the punch one-handed and narrowed his eyes at wannabe cop. The catch was easy since there hadn't been much force behind the throw but the meaning behind the attack was loud and clear. "Your reflexes are sharp."

Naruto let the man's fist go and dropped his arm. He turned back toward the street, making like he was walking away, but at the last minute spun fully to bring his fist around, taking a full forced right swing at Kakashi.

In less than a second, Kakashi blocked the blond's punch with one hand and struck Naruto flat palmed and square in the chest with the other. The former street hood was thrown back. He landed on his ass before rolling over and then back onto his knees. Quickly, he got to his feet and stood his ground, facing the man in front of him.

" _And_ you got guts and stamina." Kakashi was already looking down, pulling out his cigarettes, completely ignoring Naruto's fighting stance. "A few blocks from where I live there's a gym where I go to workout." He lit two cigarettes at the same time and handed one to Naruto. "I need a sparring partner so you'd be doing me a favor."

Relaxing somewhat, Naruto eyed the lanky man and then took the ciggy from him "Why do I get the feeling doing _you_ a favor is gonna end up costing _me_?"

Kakashi's one eye gleamed at the blond. "Nothing more than sweat and pain." He then pushed his fedora higher up his forehead, exposing his left white eye. "My Ford is down the street. The gym is open late and I know pretty good ramen place for after."

Naruto considered the offer. His stomach was empty but his anger still hadn't waned. Better to try and fix one problem before tackling the other, he thought and nodded at Kakashi. "Alright, but first tell me how you knew which street I was on?" He said as he followed the one-eyed man back to his car.

"I may not look like it, but I'm an excellent tracker."

"Huh?" Naruto shot him a confused look.

"The call came from the tenements three blocks behind you. The alleyway ends here and begins again across the street. It was a logical guess."

The blond paused as they reached his car. "Kakashi…"

"If he asks me, I won't deny it, but I have no intention of telling Sasuke first." Kakashi stood at the driver's side door and faced Naruto. "I'll leave it to you."

"The man's got a hell of a temper."

"I'm familiar with the Uchiha temper," he said. "I can handle myself."

Kakashi got into the car and Naruto slid in from the passenger. "Itachi," he said and the white-haired man didn't so much as twitch an eye. "You told me and Gaara that he had been your friend."

When the man didn't respond, Naruto turned and stared out the window as they pulled away from the curb. Maybe Kakashi still wasn't over losing his friend. He had kept his promise to Itachi but got no thanks from Sasuke for the effort. Watching the borough pass by, Naruto chewed the inside of his lip. Kakashi and Itachi, he and Sasuke. _I guess letting go an Uchiha is never easy_ , he thought and slowly widened his eyes in realization. He opened his mouth and whipped his head around to face the man now driving them through Brooklyn.

"Let it go, Naruto."

"You and Itachi?" The blond blurted out anyway, not being able to stop himself.

"Naruto." Kakashi warned.

"Alright, alright, it's just that… never mind." He forced himself to shut up and turn back to the window. Naruto let out a small chuckle. _Familiar with the Uchiha temper_. When Sasuke finds out the blond was out late with his brothers old lover, Sasuke will call down the fire from heaven on them both. A bitter smile ghosted across his lips as he thought back to Sasori and Sasuke coming down the stairs. _No need for the damn Uchiha to be so possessive now._ Naruto blinked away the thoughts and turned his attention back to Kakashi.

After a few minutes, Naruto spoke up just as Kakashi turned into a gravel lot. "So what happened to your last sparring partner?"

Pulling up to the warehouse and parking right up against the front entrance, the one-eyed man turned off the car engine and got out.

"Kakashi?"

"He died."

Without looking back, Kakashi walked inside leaving the blond to stare after him for a moment. Of course Naruto wondered if Itachi had been his partner, but realizing it would probably be best if neither one of them brought up the topic of Uchiha for the time being, the blond followed after him and said nothing.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

A/N: This chapter wasn't proofed or beta'd. Once I finished, I was pretty anxious to get it out. So here it is! Sorry for any errors, etc. I'll do my best to try and fix them here and there. Now on to the next chapter! Thanks for hanging in here with me, Dear Readers.

... until next time, Tandy.


	14. Chapter 14: Debts and distractions

**Warning** : None. Sadly, no smut in this chapter. But I'm working on bringing it SOON!

 **Author's note** : Even though this chapter only clocks in at 10k, it still felt like a beast to write! I don't know. Maybe cuz there's so much underneath all that's being said in this chapter. Anyway, I hope you like it and I'm sorry for the lack of angst and smut in this chapter but I'm already working on the next chapter and I'm pushing for a little action between our two favorite boys! Thanks again for sticking with this fic and as always, thanks for reading!

 **Disclaimer** : Oh Kishi. You get all the money but I get all the smut.

All my love to my BetaBae, **Kizu!** Thanks for all your wonderful advice and input. Can't do this without you!

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Debts and distractions**

Satisfied by the sight of his crew running like clockwork, Sasuke leaned back against the bar and lit the cigarette in his hand. His keen eyes hadn't missed the sluggish way Naruto was moving through the club, and despite being in a fair mood, he grit his teeth as he took a hard drag from his smoke, his eyes following the blond's every move.

" _Love me, love me, love mee… say you doo…"_ Sasuke glanced over at Sakura. Her voice oozed into the mic and he was immediately grateful the band was sitting this one out as she practiced the new song for them. He was in no mood for clarinets.

" _Let me fly awaaay with youuu… for my looove is like the wiiind and wild is the wiinnnd…"_

Again, Sasuke was pleased.

When Sakura arrived that morning, the dark circles around her eyes and weariness about her face had brought him a touch of irritance. He was no stranger to the withdrawal symptoms of opium, having seen it many times over the years and he could tell Sakura was now staring at it head on. His initial irritation soon faded after Yamato later informed Sasuke that his nightclub singer had been currently rooming with Gaara and Naruto.

 _So the Pink Lady was going to try and beat the dragon,_ he thought and glanced over to where Gaara was helping set up the tables for the evening _._ The man appeared deep in thought as he worked, but every so often Sasuke caught the redhead turning his head to the sound of the Pink Lady's voice. Not that the crime boss bothered himself with the goings on of those he employed but as his eyes marked Gaara's actions, he figured it was always best to stay informed. _Looks like the redhead has gotten himself a girl,_ he thought and glanced over at Sakura.

" _Let the wiiind blow through your heaaart, for wild is the wiiiind…"_ Sasuke could hear it in the woman's voice. As he watched Gaara, a small snort of air left the gangster at the simple truth of it. It seemed the Uchiha wasn't the only one who had trouble voicing his emotions. He twitched the corner of his mouth and let his worry over the club losing its most popular entertainment due to the shakes and sweats of a junkie, fall away.

Turning his attention back to the blond, he was reminded that it had been two weeks since his argument with Naruto. Whatever had been on Naruto's mind that night on the staircase had either been long forgotten or not important enough to try again. Either way, Sasuke didn't care. The more pressing matter was the way Naruto was moving around the club like an old man in pain.

The night they argued on the third floor landing, Sasuke had stormed straight out and onto his bedroom veranda for a smoke. It was there he heard the blond blast out the kitchen door and down the outside basement steps. The cool summer evening had been quiet and still. So when the blond shouted, "Don't wait up," before stomping back out and slamming the apartment door behind him, Sasuke had heard it all with perfect clarity.

"Oiy, ya dense bastard! How many times I gotta tell ya, don't be pointin' your pistol at me when you're checkin' the load?" Sasuke was jerked out of his thoughts by Sasori's anger and looked away from Naruto in time to see the angry redhead chuck an empty beer bottle straight at Sai's head. The blank-faced kid caught it with one hand.

"Sas," Tenten warned.

"Fuckin' nut job, he is." Sasuke caught the redhead's insult just as Sasori turned and walked off toward the kitchen entrance.

Naruto smirked at the comical display and glanced back at Sasuke. The Uchiha looked back at him but held to his uninterested stare. Naruto rolled his eyes and returned to helping Tenten go over the patrol routes.

With his eyes glued to Naruto, the mobster's mind went again to the night of their argument. He had told himself it was insomnia that had kept him up all night. That he preferred to sit on his fourth floor porch, enjoying the night air while he waited for sleep to claim him, rather than in his bed. It did not mean he was waiting up for the blond. And so what if exhaustion had finally set in around one-thirty in the morning? Near the time Naruto had returned to Pierrepont. _And was dropped off by some rusty old Ford,_ Sasuke thought and chewed the inside of his bottom lip. He took a long drag off his smoke and let it out slow as his eyes traced over Naruto's body while he worked the club floor.

For two weeks he watched the blond get dropped off every other night or so, by a 1924 Model T. Sometimes it was after midnight and sometimes he was back by nine, but it was always the same Ford. Of course it frustrated him to no end that he couldn't just walk up to Naruto and demand the man tell him where he's been and exactly _what_ he's been doing. Sasuke had already exposed too much of himself to the blond to go that route. However, if he couldn't ask for personal reasons he sure as hell could demand to know for business ones. Naruto was off-kilter. Sasuke knew the hood was still running circles around everyone else regardless of how many times he winced or yawned but he didn't care. He needed his crew sharp. Especially for tonight.

" _Don't you know you're liiife itself… Like a leaf clings to a treee… Oh my darling, cling to meee…"_ Sakura's voice flowed hauntingly over the clatter of weapons being snapped and checked and the dinner crystal clinking in their carts as the staff rolled them out one by one from the kitchen. Sasuke thought the lyrics were a touch dramatic for a love song, but he liked the smooth, low drawl of it.

He snuffed out his cigarette and reached behind the bar for coke bottle. Eyes still trained on Naruto, he took a gulp of the cold drink.

What had the blond been up to with the Hyuga's woman? The day after Sasuke had seen them together, there hadn't been any marks on Naruto. None that he could see anyway. Sasuke's eyes wouldn't have missed them if there had been.

And then the way Naruto had walked out and left Pierrepont, only to be mysteriously dropped off in the middle of the night? Were the two of them secretly meeting? Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he watched Naruto check under each table and chair on the club floor. Whatever the blond had been up to, Sasuke needed to know.

Only a few hours ago, Sasuke had received a call from Hyuga Neji requesting a table for the evening. With Sasuke trying to keep up appearances with the clan head, there was no way he could turn him down. If Neji's sudden visit was due to Naruto's involvement with Hinata, then that alone was cause enough for him to insist Naruto explain his distracted behavior.

Even Madara had shown up at the club. And a day after, Obito. General inquiries and his uncle's usual posturing wasn't enough to shake the young Uchiha up but it was enough to press it upon himself to quit stalling and make plans to visit Orochimaru again.

Sasuke had handled his uncle and Obito's visit with delicate caution. Maintaining his usual air of dismissiveness and disregard, Sasuke informed them both that the club was bouncing back and doing fine. Itachi had always been better at mind games and manipulation, but Sasuke had done fine in his brother's absence.

Keeping his uncle at bay while monitoring the Hyuga's every move was only half a plan for now. With Konan's men in play, all Sasuke could do was bide his time. The meeting had proven two things. First, that while the leader of the Akatsuki was cunning as well as formidable, the woman and Naruto were definitely no longer lovers. Sure, the latter wasn't as crucial as the former but both had pleased Sasuke nonetheless. And second that no matter what plan they ultimately decided on, they would have to sooner or later work on solving their biggest obstacle.

 _Orochimaru._ He was the wild card. Seemingly happy with holding to his own turf, Orochimaru had made it clear to Sasuke he had no intention of getting involved with the Uchiha or the Hyuga Clan.

Back when Naruto and Gaara had left to traipse all over Manhattan looking for information, Sasuke had gone to visit the vile man. He had taken Yamato and Tenten with him, not trusting the perverted old snake would hold to his word that no harm would come to him during his visit. Yet, no matter how many angles he tried, the man would make no deal with the Uchiha.

" _Sssasuke, I have no interest in aligning myself with you or the Hyuga." Orochimaru leered at him through the haze of cigarette smoke that surrounded them all._

" _It's no secret that the Uchiha and the Hyuga will be business partners before the end of summer." Sasuke adjusted his cufflinks and leveled his eyes on the man lounging in front of him. "All I'm asking is whether or not you plan on discouraging our attempts to disperse product in Queens or Brooklyn."_

 _Flanked by Tenten and Yamato, Sasuke stood quietly in the dimly lit parlor of Orochimaru's Boarding House. Lounged in a large wooden chair, Orochimaru was surrounded by several young men. Some sitting on the floor, some resting on their knees by his sides. But guarding the entrance and hallways to the left and to the rear, were three of the crime boss's men. Thanks to the information Sasori had provided him, Sasuke knew not to underestimate them._

 _There being no way he could question the sly gangster about any recent dealings with the Hyuga or his uncle, as the the old man would see through Sasuke's attempt, the Uchiha set his sights on trying to get the man to agree to, at the very least, step aside and offer the two clans no resistance to their expansion plans_

" _Your brother was always respectful to my needs, whenever he would visit. Have you nothing to offer in exchange for my council, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru turned his head to the male kneeling at his side and the young attendant quickly responded by lifting his eyes up at him. Sasuke watched as the mob boss dipped his hand into a nearby bowl of fruit and slowly fed a grape to the silver-haired man on his left. Open mouthed and waiting, the young man took the fruit and then closed his mouth around the raven-clawed fingers, suckling them, hungrily._

 _The Uchiha's stomach turned. "I am not my brother. I don't know what arrangements you might have had with him, but I am sure whatever his dealings with you, they did not include anything as repugnant as what you currently seem to be suggesting."_

 _A dry cackling resounded through the room. "Sasuke-kun, what a dirty mind you have." A bright glint shone behind his yellow eyes. "I am a man who deals in knowledge and information. Itachi never came to me without one or the other. I fear your youth has made you dismissive towards your elders. A trait, that I assure you, was never held by your brother."_

" _What information could you possibly want from me?"_

" _How_ is _my Sasori getting along with you these days?"_

 _Sasuke sensed the old man was fishing for a point but had yet to see what it was. "He's fitting in fine."_

" _I see."_

 _Sasuke tried again. "If it's information regarding the Uchiha's deal with the Hyuga you're after-"_

" _And your_ employeesss _? They don't take issue with your previous_ involvement _with Sasssori?"_

 _Though no smile shone on Orochimaru's face, Sasuke didn't miss the snide tone. "My involvement with Sasori is no one's business but my own."_

" _Perhaps your new blond clan member would think differently." Orochimaru ran his thumb along the bottom lip of his grey-haired servant and smiled down at him. He then brought his attention back to Sasuke and relaxed back into his ornately oversized chair. "I hear the two of you have become quite close these days."_

" _Your point?"_

" _Only that I find it hard to believe any man would be so willing to share your attention. Unless of course, he doesn't mind the extra company."_

 _Sasuke clenched his jaw. "Orochimaru. You needn't concern yourself with my private affairs. I came here to see if I could have your word that you will not hinder the upcoming expansion by the Uchiha and the Hyuga, not your opinion on lurid gossip."_

 _Yellow eyes narrowed and Orochimaru's smile vanished. "I will give no such thing. You plan to run your merchandise through Brooklyn as well as Queens. I hold a good piece of Brooklyn and the Chinese will have something to say about Queens. I don't see any reason to give you full carte blanche. What I will guarantee to you, is that should the Uchiha or the Hyuga's methods not be to my liking or become active too near my holdings, I will not keep my peace. You have my word on_ that _, Uchiha… Sssasuke."_

Though irritated by his defeat, Sasuke had made with the gracious formalities Orochimaru was known to prefer and left soon after. He had managed to keep his cool during the wretched man's insinuations, but just barely.

From their conversation, Sasuke was near positive the man had no ties to Neji or Madara. However, now that the Akatsuki was onboard, Sasuke would prefer his near positive be absolute. With so much on the line, Sasuke couldn't risk being outflanked. If Orochimaru was the ace up his uncle and Neji's sleeve, then his crew and the Akatsuki would have to rethink their plans. And even then, the two crews might still not be enough. Thankfully, Sasori had been very helpful in trying the figure out the conniving old man… as well as providing information about Orochimaru's former employee, Hyuga Hinata.

It was a no brainer that, two weeks ago when Sasuke watched Naruto ride off with Neji's courtesan, Sasori would be the one to give Sasuke the information he wanted regarding the woman. After all, before she became the Hyuga's concubine, she had been Orochimaru's whore. Sasori had been Sasuke's paid informant for more than a year and Sasuke thought the redhead had been worth every penny.

Now lazily sitting at the bar at The Palace, Sasuke absentmindedly, rolled another cigarette between his finger and his thumb. He watched Naruto trip over a chair that had been leaning against one of the front tables and knew he'd have to speak to the blond before they opened the club tonight. Sasuke took another drink of soda pop. Without thinking, he licked the sweet cola from his mouth and began chewing on the inside of his lip. The man was being more clumsy than usual but there was something else about Naruto he couldn't quite put his finger on. As his mind again drifted back to his meeting with Sasori, Sasuke's eyes followed the blond.

The redhead maintained contacts at Orochimaru's boarding house and for a small price some of his old acquaintances were more than willing to pass the gossip on. Sasori had then offered to help play the foul old man for Sasuke, telling him that Old Orochimaru would be very interested in learning any gossip involving Uchiha Sasuke.

" _How so?" Sasuke asked._

 _A mischievous grin sprouted on Sasori's face. "The guy's a perv you know."_

" _Tch. Of course but how does his penchant for young boys affect me? I'm a long way from the ages he prefers."_

" _Don't I know it," Sasori answered. "But the man's got a hard-" The redhead snapped his mouth shut and threw an apologetic grimace at his boss. "He's always after me to tell him what I know 'bout you and Blondie."_

" _Gossip about me and Naruto is old news."_

" _Oh he ain't curious if you two are an item."_

 _A questioning look washed over Sasuke's face._

" _Oroch is interested in the_ details _. The perv keeps asking me if I've_ seen _the two of you… together."_

 _Disgust turned in Sasuke's stomach and he got up from his bedroom couch to look for his cigarettes. "The man is repulsive."_

" _Aye. But knowing what he wants might help us get what we want." Sasori offered up._

 _Sasuke turned from the redhead and lit a smoke. "I am not in the mood for games, Sasori. So if you think I'm discussing Naruto with you-"_

" _Eh? Wouldn't wanna hear it anyway!" Sasori reached for the cigarettes and lit one for himself. "Ain't like I gotta tell the perv the truth. Just offer him up a few crumbs an' see if he takes a bite."_

 _Sasuke eyed Sasori. "What did you have in mind?"_

 _Sasori shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure. Think I'll start with first finding out what exactly he's after."_

" _When do you go back?"_

" _Next week. Gotta a date."_

 _Sasuke nodded and noticed an air of confidence brightening up the redhead eyes. He had never found the redhead attractive, their relationship always having been business and never anything more. But even so, he was happy for the man. "Then we'll leave it for later. Now…" Sasuke opened up a fresh bottle of champagne with a loud_ pop. " _The Hyuga."_

 _Sasori held out his glass and Sasuke poured. "She came to the house before I did." He took a long deep drink and wetted his lips. "What I heard, not from her mouth a'course, was that the Lady Hinata had been working for Oroch since she was twelve. Some orphanage sold her to him and the old snake had taken her reluctantly. A friend o'mine told me Oroch had wanted another young guy at the time, looking to replace one of his favorites… uh… Kimi-something I think his name was."_

 _The words slowly seeped into Sasuke's head._ Sold. At twelve. _He realized he was still holding his drink out in front of him and immediately downed the alcohol. "What about her and Neji?" He asked after a quick swallow. "Do you know how the two met?"_

" _Don't know how long she were there before they met but I know he was her best customer and her last." Sasori leaned back into the soft cushions of Sasuke's couch and took another hungry drink of the champagne. "The rumor was that the Hyuga paid to keep her off the market. After that, he went to Oroch and bought her straight out."_

" _Any idea how long she's been living with Neji?" Sasuke refilled their glasses and sat down on the sofa across from the redhead._

" _My guy says around three years."_

" _Hn."_

 _Sasori finished off the booze in his glass and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "As for feeding the old man with gossip," he began and Sasuke immediately threw the redhead a glare. "Oiy! I toldja, I ain't interested in hearing the horny details!" He shot back with both his hands up in surrender. "Just give me a heads up as to what's off limits. How far should I go to make it sound believable? Ya know same as me that Oroch will smell the bullshit before I even think of unclenching my ass."_

 _Sasuke's eye twitched at Sasori's colorful choice of words as he downed the last of the alcohol in his glass._

Though the topic nauseated him, the two of them talked for hours about how to possibly deal out gossip to Orochimaru and whether or not there was a chance at getting the man on his side. If not, then how to at least get affirmation Orochimaru wouldn't be playing in the game at all.

Their meeting in Sasuke's room at Pierrepont had been the night Naruto approached him on the main staircase. Naruto's tone that evening had suggested a sting of jealousy and Sasuke hadn't held back from twisting that knife in a little deeper just to try and pull a reaction out of Naruto. Unfortunately, his pleasure at provoking the blond faded fast when Naruto had chosen to walk away rather than rise to the bait.

 _To top things off_ , Sasuke thought, as he currently watched Naruto and Gaara finally return from their work on the roof, _the street hood was now staying out late almost every night and coming into work exhausted and sore_.

"Naru, help me with the balcony." Sasuke watched Gaara and Naruto leave Tenten and walk toward where he was sitting at the bar. The redhead nodded Sasuke's way but the blond only stared back at him, daring Sasuke to react, until finally Naruto looked away and followed his friend up the stairs to the VIP section.

Sasuke looked after them. What was it in those blue eyes? Was it dejection? Animosity? Whatever was behind the intent made Sasuke even more determined to confront his employee about his late night activities. Since the night of their clipped argument, they had mostly spoken out of necessity and nothing more. Thankfully, their encounter with Konan had remained professional and the two had managed to come through the meeting without displaying any embarrassing dramatics.

The Akatsuki leader had been offered her choice of venue for their meeting and had brazenly chosen The Tokyo Palace Hotel, much to Sasuke's surprise. With no one yet knowing that the head of the Akatsuki was a woman, she was afforded the luxury of not being recognized wherever she went. So she had simply walked into the hotel three days after Naruto had sent word to her, and booked herself a room. The sheer audacity of her actions had impressed Sasuke, though he would never dare admit it to anyone. Least of all, Naruto.

Last week when she had shown up alone at the hotel, Sasuke wasn't sure if her choice to come without security was due to her trust of Naruto or if it was her way of showcasing her trust in their newfound allegiance. Whatever the reasoning behind her choice, Sasuke had again been uncharacteristically impressed.

* * *

 _It had been last Wednesday and nearing two in the afternoon when Sasuke pulled his tie tight, taking one last glance in the mirror before answering the knock at his suite door._ _Dressed in an impeccable black and white pinstriped suit, the Uchiha hadn't missed the way Naruto's eyes widened when he opened the door to greet him. From his imported leather spats to his slick styled midnight hair, Sasuke was exquisite. He told himself that an important meeting such as this required a more formal approach. He told himself that the hour he spent primping in front of the mirror had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that this Akatsuki woman had once been Naruto's lover. Sasuke was above such juvenile displays of peacocking. Although, he thought with a touch of smugness, Naruto's reaction alone had definitely been worth the effort._

" _Nice suit," Naruto said with a smirk._

 _The Uchiha didn't reply but instead glanced down at the outfit the blond had chosen. Sasuke's brow twitched as he drank in the sight of the blond haired, blue-eyed man dressed in the same black suit Naruto had chosen for himself the night Sasuke had first invited him to the club._

 _With stoicism intact, Sasuke lifted eyes to Naruto's. Given their previous altercation, Sasuke wasn't sure just what it was now clouding the hood's eyes. Pulling away from Naruto's gaze he adjusted his cufflinks and said nothing._

" _She's waiting in room 220."_

" _Hn."_

" _You ready?"_

 _Sasuke shot the blond an irritated glare as he walked past him and out the door. Had he turned around, he would have caught Naruto smirking back at him._

 _Now quiet and waiting as the elevator ascended to the second floor, Sasuke let his mind pick through Naruto's reasoning for choosing that particular suit. When he hired Naruto, he had several other slacks, ties and jackets purchased for the blond and the redhead, always making sure they were all dark and fitted. But no matter what style he hand picked or how much money he spent, the deep charcoal colored suit Naruto was wearing now, still remained Sasuke's favorite. Was his choice deliberate? And if so, why?_

 _Before he could finish his fashion analysis, the elevator reached the second floor, where he found Juugo and Tenten waiting patiently on the other side of the metal gate._

" _I'll have the door, Juugo will be at the elevator and Gaara is monitoring the hotel lobby." Tenten followed behind Naruto and Sasuke as they walked down the hall. "Sas and Sai are on constant patrol through the kitchen and the club as well as the side and main entrance."_

 _Nodding his approval, Sasuke steeled his emotions as Naruto stepped out in front and knocked on the hotel room door._

 _The first thing that struck Sasuke was the woman's bright amber eyes. Holding the door open for them both she then cast her eyes downward and took a few steps back. Lowering her chin with the slightest of reverence, the woman held out her hand beckoning the Uchiha to enter._

" _It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Uchiha Sasuke." Her voice soft and warm._

" _Likewise." Nodding at Konan's welcome, Sasuke's dark eyes took in everything. It seemed the woman had also taken the time to dress for the occasion, he thought as he watched the leader of the Akatsuki close the door and walk to the small hotel room dinner table._

 _The woman was beautiful. Sasuke had ever considered the female persuasion an option, but as his eyes followed her across the room, he found himself closer to understanding what Naruto saw in her._

 _With each step, her knee length, sheer black and deep violet dress shimmied against the satin lining underneath it. Sleeveless and with black satin gloves, her sequined purple and silver flowered dress sparkled from beneath a long string of bright violet pearls that hung from her neck. Sasuke noted the purple flower clipped to her curls and the light streaks of the plum-colored tints in her hair. '_ The woman fancies the color purple,' _he thought and glanced over at Naruto._

 _As Konan took her seat at the table, Sasuke caught the eyebrow lift she gave Naruto as well as the blond's eyeroll response._

 _Sasuke's stomach tightened._

 _He then watched Naruto adjust his tie before turning to take his position at the door on Konan's left and Sasuke's right._

 _There it was. The same playful nature he saw in the blond was know sitting directly across from him wearing an ornate purple dress and Sasuke's sudden awareness of it, left him feeling a touch irritated._

 _Abruptly, Sasuke turned from them both and went to the phone. "Bring up the drinks and the food. Don't forget the cigarettes," he said and hung up the phone._

 _Finally taking a seat, the crime boss glanced around the room and noted several bouquets of flowers, all in various shades of purple, stationed throughout the room. Thinking her proclivity was a bit much, Sasuke had a sudden suspicion that the flowers were not part of her fashion statement but something else entirely. Not being one to disregard what someone else might write off as coincidental, Sasuke made a mental note of the oddity and eased into his chair._

" _Konan." Amber eyes flicked at Sasuke's voice and he leveled his eyes at her. "I'm curious. How_ did _you manage to hijack my Passaic shipment?"_

 _Keeping her eyes on the clan boss, a small smile lifted at the corner of her mouth. "Direct and to the point. I like him, Naru."_

 _Had Sasuke looked over at Naruto he would have seen a light rosy dust on the street hood's cheeks. However, Sasuke remained unmoved._

" _Since we're now on the same side, I suppose it's time to reveal my hand."_

 _Sasuke said nothing. While he saw the same comical behavior that resided in Naruto, he reminded himself of the night of the failed hit on his life. Naruto was not someone to be underestimated. Instinct told him this woman was the same. Keeping his hardened stare, Sasuke stayed silent and wondered if she would reveal all her cards or just the ones she suspected he already knew about._

" _I have several men-"_

 _A knock came to the door. "Oiy, Naruto. Kitchen's here. One, two carts."_

 _Naruto recognized Tenten's code and opened the door, letting in the staff. Konan eyed each one of them and waited for them finish their work and take their leave._

 _Once again alone, she added sugar to the hot coffee in front of her and took a sip. "I have several men currently in Madara's employ."_

 _Naruto jerked up at her words but Sasuke only stared. "_ Dō yatte _?" He said._

 _A smirk appeared on Konan face at Sasuke's use of Japanese but then quickly faded. "Five years before I met Naruto, I planted the first seeds of my plan." Konan spoke around her coffee cup but her eyes were blazing at Sasuke. "It was then that four of my men were hired by Madara. All are now stationed at several of his warehouses throughout Brooklyn."_

" _Naruto told told me you've been tailing Madara for some time."_

" _Yes." Konan reached for the cigarettes in front of her but Sasuke was faster. He opened the pack and offered one to her. She nodded thanks just as Naruto stepped up to light it for her. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the gesture._

" _I and two of my men have dedicated ourselves to tracking Madara's every move. That's why I'm on my own today."_

 _Naruto turned to Sasuke and held out the light in his hand. Leaning in close caused the fire off the match light up Naruto's blue eyes. As he held the blond's gaze, Sasuke momentarily forgot himself, and allowed a flash of matching heat to fill his own dark eyes, making Naruto's eyes widen fractionally in response._

 _Amused but determined not to let the blond's reaction distract him, Sasuke lit his cigarette and looked past him to Konan. "How many?"_

" _Deidara works the Uchiha warehouse on Pennsylvania. Suigetsu is at Bushwick and Zabuza and Haku are at the warehouse in Brownsville."_

" _Six altogether."_

"Hai _."_

" _Why two in Brownsville?" Sasuke asked._

" _Both were sympathetic to my plan having been wronged by Madara themselves, but would only agree to become part of the Akatsuki if they were paired together."_

" _And the two tracking Madara?_

 _Konan casually stirred her coffee and placed the spoon aside. Normally, the Uchiha would've just demanded an answer forthright but not missing the way the Akatsuki leader's eyes darted to Naruto, Sasuke decided to give the woman time to find whatever choice words she was looking for._

" _One of them, Kisame, I hired for his surveillance abilities and he's thoroughly knowledgeable in various techniques. He's paid well for his services and has been the lead in all my recent heists." Clearing her throat, Konan took another sip of coffee._

 _Reading the woman wasn't as easy as Naruto but Sasuke had still seen through her posture and picked up on the subtlety of her tones. "You don't trust him," he said._

 _The woman didn't think twice before answering. "No." She took another quick sip of her coffee. "His loyalty only goes as far as the money I pay him. I'm honestly not sure where he would stand once everything is set into motion."_

 _Sasuke considered her assessment. "And the other?"_

 _As if readying herself to push the words out, Konan took in a deep breath before continuing. "Yahiko. He's been in this with me since the beginning. He and Kisame lifted the Hyuga's truck last week and scored an extra shipment of guns off the muscle Neji had hired to protect it. Yahiko, I trust with my life."_

 _Sasuke nodded._ From the beginning. _He let his eyes find the blond and saw the man looking downward, presumably contemplating the very same thought that the Uchiha was now turning over in his head._ Exactly who was Yahiko to this woman? _A friend? A lover or perhaps family? Itachi had been the only one Sasuke had ever trusted with his life but he was gone. '_ And Naruto,' _his mind whispered, making him turn back to the woman in purple and forcibly push the thought away._

 _Better to leave those musings for after the meeting._

 _It wasn't lost on young crime boss that the woman in front of him had managed to get four men to infiltrate his uncle's ranks and had a total of six men willing to follower her. With the world they lived in not altogether kind about how it treats women, it was a wonder that the one now sitting in this hotel room had gotten so far. Taking a drag from his smoke, Sasuke looked over at Naruto._

 _The blond immediately caught his eyes and returned a questioning stare. Just what kind of friends had Naruto surrounded himself with? Pulling his gaze away, Sasuke again focused on the purple-haired woman. "What about the Hyuga?"_

" _I only found out recently that the Uchiha and the Hyuga were in a deal together." Konan tapped the ash of her cigarette into the ashtray and followed through with a hard flick of her thumb. "I didn't factor them into my plans. From the beginning this was always about the Uchiha and taking back what I'm due." Again, Konan's eyes lit from within as she spoke._

 _If Sasuke was anything, he was a great judge of strength. Even on instinct alone he could always read the will of a man, or in this case, a woman. Of course, he would usually later push for proof of some kind but deep down, Sasuke always knew. "And your infiltration of my uncle's holdings, this is how you are planning on taking the Uchiha down?"_

 _Konan smiled. "Your uncle has his hand in many cookie jars, Sasuke-san. I've documented every cop, every shopkeeper and every sleazy government official Madara has traded money with. Taking down a wealthy man with connections takes time. First you take away his wealth, then when he had no more grease to give the wheels, you go after the man." Konan snuffed out her cig._

" _Yet, you have no plan for the Hyuga."_

" _No. I assumed you, the Hyuga and Orochimaru would keep to your own. I never foresaw an alliance"_

" _And when you did find out about the deal, you contacted Naruto." Sasuke's face remained impassive._

" _I contacted him when I found out he was working for you." Konan's posture stiffened._

" _Was that before or after you found out about the Uchiha's deal with the Hyuga?" Sasuke didn't need to look over at Naruto to know the blond was already staring wide-eyed at his former girlfriend. "Tell me, how long did you wait to contact him, once you found out Naruto was working for me?"_

 _Konan said nothing but it was too late. Sasuke could see the answer in the woman's golden eyes. Her warning to Naruto had been nothing more than a ploy to get information and - just her luck - the blond had instead arrived with an offer._

 _Though interested in moving the meeting along, Sasuke couldn't resist letting an air of smugness reach his eyes. "At this time, I only have a tentative line on Orochimaru but the Hyuga remains unchecked." Sasuke glanced Naruto's way but the blond averted his eyes. "We might be able to gain access soon but… time will tell."_

 _The woman kept her eyes lowered. She reached out and instead of her coffee cup, grabbed the whiskey bottle and poured more than a finger in before drinking it off. "And what do you have on Orochimaru?" she said, forcing down a swallow of the laced coffee._

" _He hasn't been the most forthcoming. I think it'll take a special handling to get anything out of that man," Sasuke replied, his dark eyes settling on the drink in Konan's hand._

" _Do you know if he's been in contact with Madara?"_

" _No." Peripherally, Sasuke saw Naruto tense. He already suspected the blond didn't like the idea of having to deal with Orochimaru and the man's current posturing told him he was right. Sasuke almost smiled. Instinctively, Naruto knew Orochimaru was a foul beyond filth. Sasuke of course had proof of the man's depravity but Naruto had known it intuitively._

" _I haven't been able to get close to Orochimaru," Konan said quietly. "I tried to infiltrate his boarding house and was... unsuccessful."_

 _Both Naruto and Sasuke stilled. The Uchiha watched as the woman in purple fidgeted with her coffee cup. It wasn't difficult to see she was trying to find the right words to continue. "Naruto," Sasuke said. "I think it's time for the whiskey."_

 _WIthout a word, Naruto poured each of them a glass and then returned to his post at the door._

 _Sasuke didn't miss the reserved look on the blond's face. Between finding out Konan hadn't been entirely forthcoming about her reasons for contacting Naruto and her intriguing partnership with Akatsuki member, Yahiko, Sasuke supposed the added anxiety over contacting Orochimaru had sent the blond's head into overdrive._

 _Konan pushed aside her spiked coffee and took the whiskey into her hand. "A few years back, one of the first men I had working with me, tried to become part of Orochimaru's crew. We found Jūzō a week later in an abandoned warehouse at the far end of Brighton Beach. He was sliced nearly in two and… and had been crucified to the wall." She forced out the last words as she lifted her glass from the table and downed it. Steadying her hand she set the crystal down and locked eyes with Sasuke. "Without a good read on Orochimaru, any plan we come up with will be risky."_

" _I agree." Sasuke lifted his glass to Konan. "To your friend," he toasted and savored the slow burn of the booze. More and more it seemed that Sasuke would again have to contend with Orochimaru. While the idea didn't sit well with him, he knew the woman was right._

" _Your insider. Is he set?"_

" _For now," Sasuke answered. "As for Orochimaru, the man enjoys his petty games too much. I took a meeting with him and got no where. He wouldn't agree to step aside or work with the Uchiha or Hyuga. I'll wait a few more weeks before contacting him again."_

" _When did you-" Naruto's surprise echoed through the room._

" _A few weeks ago. Since no headway was made, I saw no need to mention it." The blond didn't offer another word and Sasuke knew Naruto would make it a point to later confront him about being left out of the loop._

 _Konan and Sasuke again locked eyes. "Sasuke." The woman tilted her head. "I've shown you my hand. Will you let me in?"_

 _Sasuke considered her for a brief moment. It was obvious the woman was sharp. Though she had cut hard through Naruto's feelings, an action that irked the gangster to no end, he couldn't deny she was a worthy player. "I have my personal crew here at the club, six total. The police informant, Hatake Kakashi... and Naruto."_

 _Konan softened her eyes in understanding and nodded._

 _Lifting his chin, Sasuke continued, "There are always those for hire if it comes to that, but for now this is what we have. I can't run the risk of bringing in anyone else from my clan, on the chance that they might be loyal to Madara." Finishing his cigarette, he crushed it into the ashtray. "How close are you to reaching your goal in Madara's warehouses?"_

For another hour Sasuke questioned and noted every detail of their conversation. In the last five years, Konan had missed very little and paid attention to much. The two debated whether or not to strike the Hyuga head on or only Madara, hoping that Neji would back down soon after the takeover and acknowledge Sasuke's _coup d'etat_. Then perhaps measures could be taken against the Hyuga Clan after the larger whole of the Uchiha Clan was in Sasuke's control. They then went over possible turf holdings and whether or not they could trust that Orochimaru would stay out the mess altogether.

The two continued on through the sandwiches and further into the whiskey. Naruto had initially poured them each a glass of the booze but during the third refill, Sasuke had pushed out the chair to his right and insisted Naruto join them. Reluctantly, the blond took a seat between the two.

 _Still not meeting the Uchiha's eyes, Naruto poured himself a glass and lifted it at one then the other, keeping his gaze firmly on the booze in his hand._

" _Sasuke…" Konan began and Naruto's hand froze, mid-air._

" _I won't step aside." Sasuke finished, and raised his glass to Naruto and then to Konan, taking a long drink and then setting his glass on the table. "I know you're after Madara, same as I. You refuse to step aside and I see no reason why I should. In which case, it's as Naruto has already stated. Every man for himself."_

 _Konan raised a brow and a small smile curled Sasuke's lips in response. "Or woman."_

 _Sasuke glanced around as Naruto and Konan drank. It was apparent that Naruto was deliberately avoiding the Uchiha's attempts at getting his attention. Leaving Naruto to his own private council, Sasuke poured himself another glass, and then offered the bottle to the young woman._

" _Thank you, Sasuke-san."_

" _Sasuke," the dark-haired mobster corrected and refilled her crystal glass for her._

 _Konan responded with a gracious smile and held her glass up to him. "Sasuke… is there anything I can say to change your mind?"_

 _The Uchiha lifted his glass in return and swallowed his drink._

" _The man murdered my brother." It wasn't in Sasuke's nature to be delicate. His words fell hard between the three of them and caused Naruto to finally acquiesce and look over at the crime boss. "If you're so sure in your ability to go after my uncle and succeed where many men before you have tried and failed, then my refusal to step aside should be of little consequence to you."_

" _I'm merely thinking of the wrath I would no doubt incur once I succeed in robbing you of your revenge."_

" _Tch." Though Sasuke knew the woman couldn't possibly stand a chance at taking down Madara on her own, there was still a small part of him that approved of her unwillingness to back down. "My wrath will be the least of your worries if you're determined to use the information you have on Madara as a way of taking him down. The politicians and power players you've mentioned won't tolerate the leverage you have over them."_

" _And I think once they become aware of the edge I have, they'll all think twice before rushing to Madara's aid."_

 _A soft snort of laughter escaped from Sasuke. "Is that what you think?" He motioned for Naruto to pass the cigarettes. The blond handed them over and offered up a light. A quick glance told Sasuke all he needed to know. The hurt in Naruto's eyes, Sasuke had expected, but it was the resignation he marked that gave the gangster pause. After a long drag of his smoke, Sasuke pulled away from the deep blue eyes and leveled his own at Konan. "The information you have makes you a target. Those corrupted officials you've tracked don't align themselves with my uncle out of respect, they fear him." Sasuke leaned forward. "Madara doesn't stand on the sidelines taking notes of who's naughty and who's nice. He bribes, he swindles, he breaks bones and then murders anyone who gets in his way." Sasuke pointed his cigarette at her. "Madara's hands are as dirty as those on your list. One word from my uncle and any one of those men plus their families would be taken out." The young Uchiha sneered at her arrogance. "Do you think my uncle or any of his associates fear the law? Tell me, Konan, exactly who are you going to turn that list over to? There is no law left in this city. Madara, Neji, Orochimaru and myself have have made a life in New York based on that fact alone. Our clans along with other players in New York all vie for political and police attention. If you're hoping to locate the last honest man left in the city, you will reach old age before finding him, Konan of the Akatsuki."_

 _Naruto let out a sigh and ran his hands through his hair bringing the attention of both the woman in purple and the Uchiha._

 _Konan's eyes lingered on Naruto before turning back to Sasuke. The Akatsuki leader tilted her head and a soft regard washed over her deep amber eyes as she rested them on the Uchiha. "I'm the last person who needs to be lectured on the sadistic and wretched nature of Madara. And… despite what you may think, Sasuke, the world isn't as corrupt as you believe. There is still some goodness left in it." She turned to Naruto and for a moment held his eyes to her own before again casting them at the young crime boss. "I know the men I've tracked fear Madara and I know corruption is everywhere, but that doesn't mean I give into hopelessness." Konan tugged at her cigarette and blew out a long trail of smoke. "That's a dark heart you carry, Sasuke of the Uchiha Clan. I hope one day you take a chance and let in a little light."_

" _Hmph." Sasuke pushed back from table._

" _Konan," Naruto warned._

 _Rolling her eyes at Naruto, she again spoke up. "I don't intend on having Madara arrested, Sasuke. I plan on killing him."_

" _Tch. Then why bother yourself with his connections who happen to be my connections as well?" Sasuke glared at her. He was losing his patience. While he was coming to understand that this woman was indeed a valuable asset and any hope he had in defeating Madara and Neji would require her help, her sly implication that Naruto was somehow the light to his dark infuriated him. How dare this woman try to school Sasuke on Naruto's value, let alone his heart?_

 _Konan again turned to Naruto. Sasuke watched a knowing look pass between them and decided he had had enough. "What-"_

" _Tell him, Konan." Naruto cut in, his blue eyes still locked hers._

 _Sasuke looked from one to the other. Naruto nodded at her and she brought her eyes forward, meeting the Uchiha's dark stare._

" _Because I have plans for a few of those contacts," she said and grabbed a cigarette. Lighting it herself, she continued, "Madara was always my main target but there are several of his associates that owe me a debt." She took a long drag and kept her eyes on her hand as it reached out to the ashtray and flicked the cig a few times over it. "My family came to New York via the Cape. I'm sure you're aware of the difference between rounding the cape versus arriving in San Francisco."_

" _Cargo."_

 _Konan nodded but didn't raise her eyes. "My parents used their life savings to come to America and the men who took their money, gave my parents, my brother and I, a spot on a cargo ship in return. After months at sea and many passenger deaths we finally landed in America. Your uncle, the police and several city officials greeted us when we arrived in the middle of the night." Konan drank off the whiskey in her glass and then lifted her dark golden eyes to Sasuke's. "They took our papers and forced each of us sign legal contracts before we were allowed off the ship. I was only five when we got to New York and very weak from the journey. My brother was older, so Madara had him employed at a steel mill, while my parents took whatever jobs they could find and for the next seven years my parents and my brother worked in servitude for your uncle, trying to pay off an insurmountable debt."_

" _When my mother fell ill from exhaustion and fever and could no longer work, my father went to Madara to beg him to give him extra time for that month's payment. Madara told my father he would consider it." Konan snuffed out her cigarette and went to grab the whiskey when suddenly Naruto tried to reach for it first. She held her hand up to him and filled Sasuke's glass, Naruto's and then her own. Without so much as an acknowledgement toward the Uchiha, she drank hers off. "I was twelve the day your uncle visited my home," she said after she finished off the alcohol. "He and three of his men came while my mother lay sick in bed and took my brother as payment." Konan's eyes pierced through Sasuke. "I watched my dying mother try to fight off the men before falling to her knees, crying and begging Madara to not take my brother."_

 _A heavy silence filled the hotel room. Sasuke lifted his glass to his lips just as Naruto grabbed the smokes, lighting two cigarettes. When their eyes met, Sasuke read in his eyes that Naruto had already known about Konan's past and was not enjoying having to listen to the story again. The Uchiha took a sip of his whiskey and then the cigarette from Naruto._

" _It took me two years to find out what happened to my brother and by that time, both my mother and father were dead. My mother died shortly after they took Nagato and my father was killed a few weeks later by one of Madara's men when he went to see your uncle to demand my brother be returned."_

 _A quick glance at Naruto told the Uchiha that her story wasn't finished. The blond lowered his eyes and turned his head away from Sasuke's scrutinizing gaze. The woman in front of him, however had her fire lit eyes locked on Sasuke's black ones. Recognizing the look for what it was, Sasuke asked the obvious. "And your brother?"_

 _A shadow passed over the woman's face and Sasuke noted the way she stiffened, physically trying hold back her emotions. "My brother was sold to Orochimaru."_

 _The leader of the Akatsuki took a hard drag from her cigarette and let it out slow. When she hovered the smoke over the ashtray, Sasuke wasn't surprised by the steadiness of her hands. The woman in front of him had long ago worked to steel her emotions and though he tried to remain indifferent to her suffering, the young Uchiha couldn't help feeling somewhat akin to the hardened lady before his eyes._

" _As soon as I found out, I went looking for him but... getting access to the boarding house is far from easy, so I hustled on the street until I had enough cash to pay one of his workers for information." She took a deep breath but didn't lower her voice. "I was told that my brother had worked for Orochimaru but died... not long after he had arrived." Konan swallowed hard but didn't lower her eyes. "Apparently, Nagato fought back during one of his… appointments… and the man stabbed my brother in retaliation. The whereabouts of his body was never found out." Her hand went to the glass in front of her but she made no attempt to refill it._

" _Madara..." she continued. "The police officials, the politicians that profited from Madara's atrocities, and all the way down to the employers that garnished my parents wages for what they supposedly owed your uncle… stripping each one of them of their power or killing them off one by one is all the same to me. Either way, every one of them will answer to me for their crimes against my family."_

 _Sasuke's face remained unmoved. Without breaking her gaze, he crushed his cigarette and leaned back into his chair. Two years to find her brother. Another five to get close to Madara. Despite the fact that the woman sitting across from him was Naruto's old flame, a slow satisfied feeling came over him. Only masterful patience and dedication could have brought her this far. Marveling again at the quality of friends Naruto surrounded himself with, Sasuke fought against his eyes revealing too much, and pushed away his feelings about the manner in which her and her family had suffered. Relaxing his posture, Sasuke pressed on. "After all that you've been through at the hands of the Uchiha, why place your trust in me?"_

 _Finally giving in and reaching for the alcohol, a soft smile reached Konan's eyes. She refilled Sasuke's, and then Naruto's glass, catching the blond's eyes with her own. "Because I'm not. I'm putting my trust in Naruto."_

 _Before tearing her eyes from Naruto's, she swallowed down her own drink and then looked over to Sasuke. "I trust Naruto, implicitly. He wouldn't give his loyalty to just anyone. So even though I despise Madara, I have to concede to the fact that you were not involved in what happened to my family. Even your brother wasn't aware of Madara's side racket."_

" _How can you be su-"_

" _I did my research well, Uchiha. Your brother may have been clan by birth, but he did his best to distance himself for some of the more unsavory dealings your uncle took part in."_

 _Sasuke said nothing._

" _Your brother… Itachi... he was a good man. I was saddened when I heard of his death."_

 _Sasuke acknowledged her condolence and lifted his glass, but kept his eyes firm. To his right, Naruto drank to the toast as well, but quickly cast his eyes downward, fidgeting with a napkin on the table. Guessing that the blond had come to the same conclusion, Sasuke decided to let Konan's slip up pass. "Let's talk details."_

 _It was nearing seven in the evening by the time Naruto and Sasuke made their goodbye's to the woman. Sasuke invited her to stay until Friday and be his guest at the club but Konan politely declined. The chaste goodbye Naruto gave the Akatsuki leader wasn't missed by the Uchiha nor was the strained smile on Naruto's face._

 _Once Sasuke, Naruto,Tenten and Juugo were all riding back down to the kitchen, the Uchiha instructed them all that he would bring everyone up to speed over Sunday dinner at Pierrepont and they would discuss things then. All agreed and went their way._

" _Naruto." The blond stopped and turned back. "Are you… Is everything in place to contact her as we move forward?" Sasuke worked to keep his concern about Naruto's mood in check and instead focus on the business at hand._

 _With a short nod, Naruto stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked up thoughtfully at Sasuke._

" _It's not a bad plan," Sasuke said, feeling somewhat odd at his attempt to fill the silence. "Hurting my uncle's holdings will put a strain on his kickbacks, making it less likely the police will interfere when we strike." Fighting the urge to step toward the blond, Sasuke adjusted his cufflinks. "The trick will be to get the timing right."_

 _Again, Naruto nodded but remained quiet. The tension Sasuke had marked earlier was now visibly working its way across the blond's face. Giving him a moment, the Uchiha held his tongue and kept his sharp eyes glued to the man in front of him._

" _She said your brother… Itachi… was a good man." The two men locked eyes. "She was going to stand aside and wait for Madara to take you out next, knowing you and your brother…" He paused. "It wasn't until the Hyuga deal and me joining the clan that she even considered trying to…"_

 _The Uchiha took a step forward. "Given all she's lost, I can't say I blame her. It's a hard world we live in, Naruto. Any man in her position might not have made it this far and for a woman to have already-"_

" _Yeah." Naruto shifted and turned from Sasuke. "If there's nothing else, I… I have somewhere else to be right now."_

 _Sasuke's gut twisted. "Don't be late for prep tomorrow," Sasuke called after him._

" _Yeah," Naruto answered and left the kitchen._

* * *

But that had been last week.

Now Naruto's nightly excursions were becoming a growing source of frustration for Sasuke. Even just watching his blond-haired crew member tiredly making his way through Friday afternoon prep, grinded against Sasuke's nerves.

From his seat at the bar, he could see Naruto's every limp and grimace. Forgetting himself, Sasuke chewed the inside of his bottom lip as his eyes coveted every muscle and curvature on Naruto's body.

Other than input and opinions during their Sunday dinner and their following meetings since, the blond had been keeping his distance from the Uchiha. Leaving Sasuke to wonder if Naruto's avoidance really was due to some secret nightly rendezvous with the Hyuga woman.

Last week, playing nice and refraining from any outwardly display of smugness during the meeting with Konan, had left Sasuke with a migraine and an overwhelming desire to summon Naruto to his suite and drag the man to his bed. Stake his claim on the blond. Possess him completely.

The woman had used Naruto. Their meeting in Chinatown had been nothing more than a ploy to get information and now it seemed that their previous relationship had been colored with deceit and half truths as well.

The name Yahiko had come as a surprise to Naruto. The two of them had sat there and listened to Konan's revelation that Yahiko had been with her since the beginning… _and she trusted him with her life._ Two years spent searching for her brother and another five laying the foundation for Madara's future demise.

It was a little over a year ago, Naruto had told Sasuke that day in his suite, when Konan had left Naruto. She didn't say she'd be back or invite the street hood to leave with her.

From the bar, Sasuke continued his focus on the blond. Hinata. Konan. Late nights and distracted days. Yes, Sasuke thought. The time for Naruto to divulge his secret whereabouts had come, his eyes suddenly bright as he took in the scene unfolding in front of him on the nightclub floor.

"Naruto, look out!"

Sasuke saw it happen before the words left Tenten's mouth. Naruto had finished with the balcony and returned to sit at one of the tables to check his piece and adjust his holster. He pulled the shoulder belt on, making sure the holster lay against his left side. It was obvious that the blond still wasn't comfortable slinging a heater and Sasuke almost rolled his eyes when he saw Naruto tug and yank at the damn thing for a good five minutes. But once Sasuke caught sight of the tablecloth Naruto had somehow managed to snag _into_ one of the harness buckles, a small smirk crept onto his face as he watched from the bar and waited for the inevitable.

Had Naruto not jumped out of his chair in a dash to finish whatever was next on his list for prep, he might have felt the tug on his waist and stopped. Instead he bolted from the table and the sets of crystal and silverware went with him. When Tenten yelled, Naruto whipped around at the call of his name, pulling the linen with him. The crescendo of glass and dinner plates filled the club and everyone from crew to kitchen staff froze and stared at the now wide-eyed, red faced blond standing in the middle of the whole mess.

Sasuke found his moment. Pulling back his urge to smile and worse, laugh, he stood up and walked to where Naruto was apologizing and frantically trying to help clean up.

"Naruto."

Spinning around to the sound of his name, Naruto came face to face with a pair of dark eyes. "Sasuke."

"Come with me." Sasuke didn't wait for a reply. He walked past Naruto and headed out the stage door without looking back.

 _to be continued..._

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter things get a little more dicey for our boys. Love and blessings to you all!


	15. Chapter 15: Yes

**Warning** : BoyXBoy, Yaoi, cursing and all around bad stuff you should now expect from this fic.

 **Author's note** : This chapter was killing me! I still didn't get to everything I wanted but I was at the very least, able to squish in as much as I could. Just a heads up, this chapter begins where the last chapter began, only this time, from mostly Naruto's POV, heehee… Also, this chapter is un-beta'd, mostly cuz I wanted to get it out as soon as it was done and becuz my bae is having a rough time with her router. So please forgive any errors as I didn't have my best gal's keen eyes looking it over before I posted. With that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks so much, Dear Reader, for hanging in here with me!

 **Disclaimer** : Kishi gets the cash and I do it all for free.

And as always so much love to my BetaBae, **Kizu!** I hope your online again soon! I miss ya, bae! MUWAH!

* * *

 **Chapter 15** : Yes

It was barely the start of prep and already Naruto wanted the day to be done and over with. Not only did he have the whole rest of the night ahead of him, but he also had to contend with the constant scrutiny of Sasuke. It was driving him a bit insane. Every time he turned around, every time he glanced over his shoulder, there was Sasuke, sitting back at the bar, watching him.

It was the _way_ he was watching Naruto. At first he thought Sasuke wanted to talk to him. Every time he'd catch the Uchiha staring, it seemed like the man had something important on his mind. Yet, whenever Naruto would give him a questioning look back, Sasuke would turn away. It all gradually started after their meeting with Konan but now, weeks later, the whole damn thing had gotten weird. Everywhere he turned, there were Sasuke's dark eyes, following him; burning with some unknown question, Naruto could only guess at.

It was bad enough he was exhausted from his training sessions with Kakashi but now with those damn Uchiha eyes following his every move, Naruto was getting a little paranoid. Did Sasuke know? Did those keen Uchiha eyes catch something Naruto hadn't been able to hide? Naruto ran a hand through his hair. The last thing he wanted was to go fifteen rounds with the crime boss over him training every night with his brother's former lover.

Naruto let out a sigh and began unstacking the chairs.

 _Not like he has any right to be jealous anymore_. After catching Sas leaving Sasuke's room, Naruto had been pissed; fucking livid at the man for playing up his fraternization with the ornery redhead. But later, lying in his bed after his first night training with Kakashi and stomach full from ramen, Naruto had felt deflated. Finally coming to understand his regret over turning down Sasuke had made the sting of jealousy all the more painful. Even worse, knowing he had practically pushed the Uchiha to find someone else, left the blond feeling downright depressed.

For two weeks, Naruto could not kick Sasuke from his mind. With every meeting, time and time again, his desire for the mob boss grew. It wasn't due to anything specific, really. With Naruto, it was always about the little things. Sure, Sasuke had been cruel on the staircase the night they argued, but it was only a few days later during their crew meeting, that Sasuke was asking him about rounds and his thoughts on how best to handle their upcoming meeting with Konan. During almost every gathering since, Sasuke would casually defer to the blond and nod in agreement or follow up with a question. And even though they never encountered each other alone after their last meeting in his suite, Sasuke was never short or curt in their interactions. In fact, he had almost been polite. The softness of the man's coal black eyes, the ease of his words. Was Sasuke… sorry?

Naruto shook the thought away. He was becoming obsessed with the idea that somehow Sasuke still wanted him and it wasn't doing him any good. Even if his night with Sasori had only been a one time thing, the thought of it still left a nasty sting on Naruto.

Reaching for another chair, he inspected it, walked to a nearby table and set it down. _California. Gaara and knowing Sasuke would never leave his clan._ These had all been good enough reasons that day. Naruto let out a sigh. Then why did he still feel like he made the wrong choice?

" _Give me mooore than ooone caresss… satisfyyy this huuungriness… let the wind blow through your hearrrt…"_

On the stage, Sakura sang into the mic deep and low and Naruto looked up at her. He liked the way the sound of her voice carried over the _clanging_ and _crashing_ of their work on the floor. Without the band, she seemed to lend the place a quiet passion that made him want to steal another look at Sasuke who was lounging against the bar at the front of the club. Biting the inside of his lip, he forced his eyes back down to the task at hand.

Finishing with the chairs he headed over to Tenten. "Hey, Ten. Everything set for patrols?"

"Take a look at these and tell me what you think." Tenten handed him the night's schedule and he looked it over.

Trying to focus on the times she wanted shift changes during the night to keep anyone trying to case the joint on their toes, Naruto did his best to push away the persistent thoughts that had been eating at him for the last two weeks.

He thought about how relieved he had been at the way Sasuke had handled himself with Konan. When he had gone to meet Sasuke at his suite to take him up to their meeting, Naruto had been worried that the gangster would throw his ego around in some crazy attempt to stake his claim on the blond.

A small smile formed on his lips when he remembered how dapper the dark-haired man had looked that day. The heated look he passed the blond during their meeting. The way concern had shone in his dark eyes after they left her room. As strong as the pull of Sasuke had been that day, the blow from Konan's words been stronger.

So he had ended up leaving his boss standing in the kitchen as he took off to go find Kakashi, hoping that the the sweat and strain of a good workout would help deplete the ache in his chest.

Now of course, he wished he had made a different choice.

"Oiy, ya dense bastard! How many times I gotta tell ya, don't be pointin' your pistol at me when you're checkin' the load?" Naruto shook himself out of his daze and yawned as he glanced over at Sas just in time to see him fling an empty beer bottle at Sai, who caught it one-handed.

"Sas." Tenten warned and despite his wistful mood, Naruto couldn't stop himself from chuckling at the whole scene. Not being able to help himself, Naruto shot a humorous look over at Sasuke as Sasori strode away grumbling something under his breath. The Uchiha only stared back.

 _Him and his goddamn, 'I'm an Uchiha and nothing ever phases me,' look_ , Naruto thought and rolled his eyes at him before looking back down at the schedule in his hand. "Looks good, Ten. Though we might wanna make sure Genma gets a break too. Sometimes an extra set of eyes keeps things from becoming monotonous."

"Switching things up will keep us sharp," she added.

"Yeah. With the Hyuga coming tonight, it's probably better not to take any chances." He handed the schedule back to Tenten and she nodded in agreement.

"Feel like handling the roof today?"

"No problem," he said and smiled at her. "Hey Gaara!" The redhead whipped around at his name and Naruto beckoned him over and then signaled to the roof.

Gaara nodded. "I'll get the ice."

Trying to pretend he didn't notice the way Sasuke's eyes were still glued to him, Naruto ended up tripping over a chair while he nervously fidgeted with his shoulder holster. Silently scolding his sore muscles and clumsiness, he quickly left with Gaara through the kitchen door.

After securing the ice and heading down the hallway, Gaara looked at his best friend, as he shifted the heavy leather satchel onto his good shoulder. "Everything alright, Naru?"

Naruto looked up. "Huh? Oh yeah, I mean, sure." His hand immediately going to the back of his head and scrubbing his hair there.

Gaara eyed him as they stepped through the back door of the club and headed toward the fire escape. "Sasuke?" It wasn't in Gaara's nature to push Naruto when it was obvious the blond was chewing pretty hard on his thoughts, but with the way the Uchiha had been staring down his friend, he figured something heavy might be going on.

The metal from the ladder up to roof was hot in Naruto's hand. He paused and pulled his hand off it, examining his palm.

"It's okay, you don't have to-"

"I don't know what to do." Naruto said in a low voice.

Gaara stayed quiet as the heat of the afternoon bore down on them. He set the leather bag down at his feet, giving his friend a moment to find the right words.

Naruto looked up and squinted at the bright day above them. He couldn't bring himself to face the redhead just yet. How could he tell his best friend what it was he was feeling for Uchiha Sasuke? And exactly what was he feeling for Sasuke anyway? The man was a criminal and yet all Naruto wanted to do was drag the gangster to the nearest bed and drown in the dark possessive look of Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto had no intention of backing out of their plan to leave for California but… _Then stay with me until you leave._

Glancing again at his hand, Naruto shrugged his shoulders and decided there was no sense in denying it anymore. "I don't know what to do about it… about him."

Gaara nodded but said nothing.

"I thought I could do this. I thought we'd make some money, leave for California and I could just forget… about… him." Naruto looked down at his boots and mindlessly kicked them against the side of the building. "It was just one night, ya know? Who the hell falls for-" Naruto snapped his mouth shut and looked up at Gaara. "Heh," he let out a nervous chuckle and forced a smile at his friend. "I don't even know what I'm saying. Let's just finish the roof and-"

"Naruto." Gaara grabbed his friend's arm and tugged him back. "I know we haven't really been talking lately, but-"

"That's my fault Gaara. I'm sorry man." Naruto cut in. "I never meant to shut you out, it's just everything got so crazy and well, weird and I really wanted to talk to you about it all and-"

"Naruto, stop." Gaara pushed his hands into his pockets. "It's alright. I wasn't exactly saying much either but this isn't about that." Gaara leveled his eyes at the blond. "If this thing with Sasuke is giving you second thoughts about California, it's alright, Naru. I told you before, I go where you go. That's includes staying if you stay"

Blue eyes softened at his best friend. "Gaara..." It almost hurt how much Naruto knew the man in front of him would always have his back. With all they had been through all these years, Gaara never once wavered. "We're going to California. I don't wanna stay in this shit town anymore than you do. I just…"

"Don't know what to do about Sasuke," Gaara finished for him.

"Yeah."

The distant sound of neighborhood kids running down the block screaming that Joe better run for his life if he knew what was good for him, brought the two former street rats back to their current job. "C'mon." Naruto jerked his head at the fire escape. "We can talk on the roof. This sun's already killin' me. The sooner we're done, the sooner we're back inside and outta this heat."

Once on the roof, they quietly examined the stash near the front. Sasori had packed everything with surprising expert finesse. The shade from the Tokyo Palace sign kept the explosives out of any direct sunlight and the wooden case the redhead had built to surround the setup, had so far worked perfectly.

Opening the satchel, Gaara brought out two pairs of thick leather gloves, an ice pick, a hammer and large block of ice. _Dry ice_ , Sasori had called it. Apparently, the man had gotten wind of a few grocers in Manhattan using the stuff to ship their ice cream and keep it from melting everywhere. So he rigged the wooden box to house a few large chunks of the stuff, helping keep the explosives cool in the summer heat. He also lined and vented the case to stop any moisture from reaching the device, which had left everyone in the crew thoroughly impressed. To say the setup was a source of pride for Sas was putting it mildly.

Gaara hacked a few large pieces off the ice block and with his leather gloves, Naruto carefully took them and placed them in the slots around the wooden case.

"Is it serious?" Gaara finally said. "With you and Sasuke?"

Naruto chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. "I honestly don't know what it is," he said, taking another shard of ice and positioning it into the box. "I almost thought there might be something, you know… more... but then…"

Gaara paused and looked at Naruto.

The blond let out a sigh. "I caught him and Sas leaving his bedroom over at Pierrepont a couple of weeks ago." Naruto shrugged but didn't look up. "So I guess… not."

Nodding, Gaara looked back down at the ice block and hammered out a few more chunks. "You think the two of them…"

"I don't know." Naruto slid back off his knees and onto his butt with a thud. "This is all so fucking crazy, man. I can't believe I'm even talking to you about this." Raising his knees, he rested his arms on them and hung his head. "I feel like a fucking idiot."

Of course Gaara couldn't deny that the whole conversation was heavy on the awkward, but thinking back over the years between them, he knew this topic didn't even come close to winning first prize. At least this time, he could be of some help. "Have you talked to him about it?"

Naruto lifted his head.

"About Sasori. Or, any of… this?" Gaara asked, quickly dropping his eyes as he turned the block over looking for another good angle to take a whack at.

"I thought about it but there never seems to a right time." Naruto again moved close to the box and fitted the remaining ice chunks into it.

Gaara nodded as he worked but didn't look up.

Having finished checking all the wires and connections, they closed the box and threw their gloves and tools into the bag. Heading back down from the roof neither one said anything else. The fact that the topic itself had made both of them beyond uncomfortable, was nothing next to the fact that neither really knew what more there was to say. Just how Naruto's relationship with Sasuke would fit into their plans for California seemed like a daunting discussion, and given that there was no actual relationship as of yet, both men figured it was probably best to tackle it all, one awkward discussion at a time.

Once back in the club, Naruto and Gaara went straight for the center table and downed the glasses of water left out for them.

"All done, Ten." Naruto called over to her after he swallowed down the cool water. "Sas's rig is holding up perfectly."

Tenten nodded back in approval and tossed the sketch she had been working on down onto the table. Gaara picked it up and looked it over.

"Balcony set up?" He asked her.

"Yeah, for the Hyuga. Sasuke's already approved it if you wanna get started on it."

Gaara nodded at Tenten and looked over at the blond. "Naru, help me with the balcony."

Naruto left his jacket and holster on a nearby chair and followed the redhead toward the balcony staircase… where Sasuke was casually seated at the bar.

The Uchiha's dark eyes darted to Gaara and then quickly looked back at Naruto approaching. The blond worked to read what it was he saw in Sasuke's look. At one time, Naruto had been able to easily read any lust buried within the gangster's dark gaze but now he couldn't see any. Did he now save that look for Sasori? An uneasy feeling clenched in his stomach.

Not able to pull his eyes away, Naruto briefly wondered if there had ever been anything between he and Sasuke at all. Maybe that was why Sasuke had been so casual with him the past few weeks; he had simply given up on the blond.

Once he pulled his eyes away and climbed the stairs, his mind again poured over all the strange behavior he witnessed the past two weeks. Sasuke's amiable moods. The way he had stolen a look during their meeting with Konan. The softness in his eyes when they spoke in the kitchen after leaving her room and now the constant watch of Sasuke's eyes. God, how Naruto wanted to punch something! Everything about the Uchiha was so goddamn confusing. One minute the man was leaving his bedroom with Sasori and the next he was behaving like he…

"Start with the chairs and then we can reposition the tables." Gaara's voice pulled Naruto out of his thoughts.

Without replying, Naruto went to work on the chairs, stacking them in sets of five and leaving them near the staircase for Juugo to take down to the floor once they were done. Pushing hard at the thoughts of Sasuke, Naruto decided it would be better if instead he focused on how the night would play out. With the Hyuga coming there was a good chance Hinata would be joining him. The thought was a bit unsettling, but given that Sasuke has decided to have Naruto shadow him all night rather than stand guard at Neji's table, made the prospect of seeing her again a little easier to bare.

He thought back to her warning after their car ride and wondered if anything had really changed since then. Would Hinata again try to slip Sakura opium sometime during the night?

He lifted his head and looked at Gaara. If Hinata made a move, he knew the redhead would put a stop to it without thought or care to the risk he'd undoubtedly bring Sasuke, and the thought troubled him. Naruto never blamed his best friend for what had happened the night they escaped from the orphanage and he didn't now, but he also knew that Gaara's act of revenge on Mitzuki had been payback for the boy's attack on Sakura. That payback had come at a high price for them both. With the memory of that night, flooding his mind, he stared at his best friend, and wondered why in hell the redhead would ever want to set foot in that godforsaken place again.

"Something on your mind, Naru?" Gaara looked up and caught the blond looking intently back at him.

"Heh, sorry." Naruto stacked the last of the chairs and then again turned back to his friend. "Uh…" He began and then shoved his hands into his pockets.

Gaara stared back and wondered what it could be that had Naruto looking so worried.

"Back when we were at the docks with Shika, did you… did you go back to P.S. One?"

Letting go of the table he was trying to move, Gaara stood up. "Kakashi's guy."

Naruto nodded. "Kakashi told me his guy followed you there and saw you on the roof before you disappeared into one the the furnace vents."

Down on the club floor, Sakura's voice had gone quiet, allowing the sounds and conversations from the rest of the crew to float up to the balcony. The kitchen staff were rolling out carts filled with china and silverware and the clatter of it all only made the silence between the two friends more deafening.

"I needed to go alone." Gaara finally said.

"Okay, but you could have at least told me about it. Gaara... you went _back_ …" Naruto shook his head. " _Why? Why did you go back to that place_?" Trying to keep his voice low, the words came out strained and terse.

Both friends stared at each other.

Gaara knew Naruto had a right to be upset. Hell, if the situation had been reversed, the redhead would have been beside himself with anger and worry. He searched for the words, trying to find ones that didn't sound like he was again taking some kind of protective role with his blond-haired best friend. As each angle of how to approach is reasoning played in his head, it call came back to the same thing.

"I didn't want to risk putting you in danger."

"Gaara-"

But the redhead held up his hand. "No, Naru. Don't." Trying not to look away from the pained grimace of his childhood friend, Gaara held his ground. "I know you don't blame me… for what happened but think about the guilt you carry for Hinata."

Naruto flinched and did his best to hold his tongue and let his friend finish.

Gaara's green eyes pierced Naruto. "Over the years enough blame has been passed around from you to me to Sakura and even Hinata. Regardless of how I feel about her recent behavior, she has a right to be bitter, Naruto. You all do."

"I won't let you take all the blame. I was there!" Not wanting to have to raise his voice, Naruto stepped up to Gaara. "I'll never let you carry all that shit on your own. We both know if I hadn't attacked Rasa in front of those investors, at most you would have spent dinner down in the basement. It was because of me! Not you!" Naruto growled his words, trying desperately to keep his voice from finding the anger that was building inside him.

"That wouldn't have been the worse of it and you know it." Gaara said quietly.

An anguished look gripped Naruto's face and he turned away. After all these years, they had never talked about that night. Digging frantically through pockets for his cigarettes, Naruto's hands began to shake. Pulling out two, he lit both and turned back to Gaara. Handing him one, their eyes met.

Gaara took the smoke and easily read the look on Naruto's face. "See? There's always been enough blame to go around." He took a deep drag of his smoke and let it out slow. "But I am sorry for not telling you. I would've been pissed had you pulled that stunt with me."

"Yeah, no shit, asshole. Just what the fuck were you doing there?" Naruto shook his head at him. "What are you planning, Gaara?" He asked more quietly.

"Not sure yet." The redhead answered. "I pilfered Rasa's books."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"All his accounting records and kickback logs from six years ago. Nothing recent or it might have been missed." Gaara added flatly.

"You're gonna try and shut him down?"

"You know as well as I do, that may not even be possible." He took another drag off his smoke and watched Naruto nod in agreement. "But," he continued, "if there's a chance…"

"Yeah." Naruto answered and took a last drag of his smoke before crushing it out in the ashtray that was sitting on the nearby railing. "I still wish you woulda told me," he said as he looked over his shoulder at his friend. He walked back to where the redhead was standing and reached for the table to help lift it up. Gaara grabbed his end and they both moved it over and off to the side. Tenten had suggested they only keep three tables in the VIP section for tonight instead of the usual six, so he and Gaara needed to make sure the remaining three were evenly placed.

"You're the only family I have," Naruto added quietly without looking up. "I should kick your ass."

"A few lessons from that old man Kakashi and now you think you can take me."

A slow grin came to Naruto's face and he lifted his head to look at Gaara. "Just say when, Red." Jerking his chin at the next table, the blond went to grab for it and Gaara followed. "Just say when."

The two of them continued the rest of their work in relative silence. Other than the occasional remark on where the tables should go, they didn't return to the topic of the orphanage.

As they worked, Naruto felt a weight lift from him. After having listened to Gaara's reasons for returning to P. alone, the blond slowly realized that it hadn't been his friend's little field-trip that had bothered him, but the fact that the redhead had kept it all quiet. With Naruto fixated on Sasuke and Gaara trying to help Sakura, the two of them had simply stop confiding in each other and the absence of the redhead's friendship had been weighing on Naruto more than he realized. With that load lifted, an easy feeling washed over him until he turned to grab the next table and caught the dark eyes of Sasuke watching him from down below.

Quickly darting his eyes away, Naruto set the table he was lifting back down and instead moved to help Gaara set up the last of the chairs. He hated the way Sasuke's dark look could still send a rush through him. He wanted to be angry at having been unceremoniously replaced by Sasori. He wanted to hate the Uchiha for the stunt he pulled after their first meeting with the Hyuga and their fight after.

Naruto sighed.

As Naruto finished up on the balcony, the chair in his hands slipped and tumbled to the floor. He kicked it hard out of frustration causing Gaara to set the chair he was holding back down and look over at his friend.

"Sorry." Naruto mumbled and bent down to grab the uncooperative piece of furniture, only to wince at the soreness still thrumming throughout his body.

Placing the chair around the table where Neji would be sitting later tonight, Naruto's mind went again to the last time he had to force himself away from Sasuke.

 _Then stay with me until you leave._

Naruto scrubbed his hands over his face and let out a frustrated growl. How the hell did everything get so complicated? Hadn't he already made up his mind that no good would come from getting involved with the Uchiha? Naruto looked down to the club floor and spotted Sasori walking back into the club, heading to the front tables and his throat tightened.

He didn't hate the redhead. He wasn't even upset at Sas. Sasuke and Sasori had known each other long before Naruto had come into the picture, so how could he blame the redhead? Naruto was more than familiar with the strong pull of Uchiha Sasuke. The gangster was as sexy as he was intriguing. Who in their right mind would even think of turning him down?

A sinking feeling settled in the pit of Naruto's stomach. _Yeah,_ he thought. _Who would do something so stupid as that._

"Tell him."

Naruto spun around to see Gaara watching him.

"Tell him how you feel before you drive me crazy right along with you." Gaara shook his head at the blond and then turned to head back downstairs.

With opened mouth, Naruto stared as his best friend. Not finding a single word at the ready, he shut his mouth and followed after him.

Knowing there was no way he'd be able to meet Sasuke's gaze after Gaara's last comment, Naruto didn't so much as twitch an eye in Sasuke's direction. The damn Uchiha would easily read the embarrassment in his eyes and Naruto didn't want to chance making a huge awkward scene in front of the whole crew.

Yet even as he passed the bar, the blond could still feel those deep obsidian eyes boring into the back of his head. Once he reached the table where he had left his holster and jacket, Naruto clumsily kicked off his work boots and reached for his gun belt. His black Italian shoes were still in the dressing room but he knew there was still plenty of time to grab them before the club opened. Knowing how much trouble he always had with his holster, he wanted to fit it on right before he set off to do anything else. "Fuck." He mumbled under his breath as he tugged and shifted the straps around his waist and shoulders. No matter how many times he had to wear the damn thing, Naruto could never get used to it. It also didn't help knowing Sasuke was sitting at the bar watching him fidget with harness and most likely rolling his eyes in annoyance at the blond's slow learning curve. Trying to keep from accidentally catching the Uchiha's eyes with his own, Naruto tried to buckle the straps by feel instead of twisting his neck to see what he was doing.

Finally getting the contraption to sit just right on his left side, he jumped up to head to the dressing room and get away from Sasuke's unrelenting watchful eyes.

"Naruto, look out!"

Whipping around as Tenten shouted his name, Naruto felt a hard pull around his waist and heard a raucous cacophony of glass and silverware hitting the ground around him. Frozen where he stood, Naruto glanced around and and felt his cheeks turn hot as everyone in the club stopped stared his way. Snapping out of his momentary shock, he quickly undid his holster to free the snag and slipped it off, apologizing to the kitchen staff as he bent down to start picking up all the broken shards of china and wine glasses.

"Naruto."

Spinning around again to the sound of his name, Naruto's stomach flipped as he came face to face with a pair of deep black eyes. "Sasuke."

"Come with me."

Naruto watched Sasuke turn and walk away. _Fuck_ , he thought and hurried after him, not bothering with his jacket, the holster, or his shoes.

* * *

Winding his way through the staff filled hallway, Naruto caught up with Sasuke at the door of his suite. He watched Sasuke disappear into the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. Naruto followed him in and closed the door behind him.

"Am I here for a scolding?" Naruto kept his position near the doorway, not quite trusting himself to move any closer to Sasuke.

"Do you feel you need one?" The dark-haired crime boss was already at the table pouring a drink. He turned and walked back to him. "Here." He handing him the glass, before returning to the table to pour himself one.

"I'll pay for the dishes."

"I don't give a shit about the dishes."

"Sasuke."

"Naruto…" The Uchiha answered and turned to face the blond. The words Sasuke had been working on all morning stuck in his throat as he took in the sight of the man in front of him. "What… where the hell are your shoes?"

Looking down at his socked feet, Naruto glanced back up and gave the mobster a sheepish grin. "Hehe uh, well, I was going to slip on my black shoes before we opened, so I left my boots in the club." His hand immediately going to the back of his neck. "I didn't want the leather ones you gave me getting all scuffed up during prep."

Sasuke stared blankly at Naruto. How the damn blond kept finding new ways to humor him, he didn't know. Here he was about to grill him over where the hell he's been running off to every night _and_ lecture him about how important tonight with the Hyuga was and the blond was standing in front of him barefoot and grinning like a fool.

"I kinda wanted to talk to you too, Sasuke." Naruto didn't know why the Uchiha had gone quiet but he figured now was his chance. Maybe if he could get a good read on how Sasuke felt about Sasori, he'd know whether or not to take Gaara's advice.

"About the way you've been acting? Distracted and moving around my club like an old man?" Sasuke asked, finally finding his voice.

"What? No. Wait, well, maybe yeah."

"Are you nervous about something, Naruto?" Sasuke eyed him and watched as the blond again shot a hand to the back of his head to scrub at his hair. "Your fidgeting in your usual way."

"Huh?" Naruto looked down at himself, then to the left and right, and took notice of what he was doing. Oh crap. Did he always grab the back of his head when he was anxious? "Oh, well not really… I guess I just-"

"Has your new roommate been disrupting your sleeping schedule?" Sasuke asked, taking a sip of whiskey. "Is she the reason you're coming to work exhausted all the time now?" He kept his eyes glued to Naruto, not wanting to miss a single tell the man might let slip.

"My sleeping…?"

"I've been informed that Sakura has been staying with you and the redhead."

"I was gonna talk to you about her," Naruto quickly added.

Sasuke held up his hand. "It's fine. As long as the club isn't jeopardized by her recovery, I see no problem with her staying with the two of you."

The drink in Naruto's hand froze just before it reached his lips. "Really..." he said a bit shocked at Sasuke's casual tone. He took a sip of the booze but kept his eyes on the gangster in front of him. "That's very generous of you, Sasuke." Again, Naruto couldn't shake the feeling that the gangster was being overly polite, considerate even.

Turning from the blond, Sasuke sat down on one of the velvet couches and leaned back. "Your tone suggests you think otherwise."

"I guess I'm surprised." Tentatively, Naruto walked toward the sitting area and took a seat across from his boss. "I thought you'd be upset, seeing how we didn't come to you first."

"Am I wrong in thinking it was Gaara's idea?" Sasuke took another drink and stared at Naruto from over the edge of his crystal glass. "It's my understanding that the redhead cares for her."

Naruto held Sasuke's gaze as he sipped his whiskey but said nothing. His heart began to race but he wasn't sure if it was due to the nearness of Sasuke or his desire to keep Gaara from shouldering all of the blame for their new roommate.

Sasuke marveled at the man in front of him. Even just the simple admittance that the idea had been the redhead's was too much of a betrayal for the blond.

"Naruto..."

Forgetting his previous agenda, Naruto set his drink down on the table and leaned forward. "She's better off staying with us. Your uncle was supplying her with opium so he could keep her working for the Hyuga."

"And I'm sure your Hinata had nothing to do with it."

"She's not my-" Naruto set his jaw and tried to keep a hold of his temper. "Your uncle was using Sakura."

"I didn't have anything to do with that." A strong air of defensiveness came from Sasuke. "Until you told me, I had no idea she was working at the Hyuga's brothel or for Madara."

Naruto held the dark eyes of his former lover to his own. "But you knew about the drugs."

Sasuke slammed his drink on table. "Goddamn it Naruto! Just what the fuck kind of business do you think I'm running?" Sasuke rose from the couch and glared down at the blond. "Sakura is a grown woman! I refuse to accept any blame for her fucking up her own life! What did you expect me to do? Shake my finger at her and tell her drugs are bad?"

Naruto only stared back at the crime boss. "You could have tried to help her."

Sasuke stared back, stunned. " _Dobe_ -"

"I'm serious, Sasuke. These people are part of your business, your crew, your clan."

"She is _not_ clan," he spat out.

"She works for _you_. She puts her life in danger every night she sings in your club." Naruto glared at the gangster standing above him. "All of us, Sasuke. All of us are here for you. We all work for you. We protect _you._ " Naruto watched as the young Uchiha blinked at his words.

"Naruto…" Sasuke turned away from the piercing blue eyes steeled with determination. "You expect too much. I'm not…" Sasuke tugged at his tie and pulled it free. He then tossed it onto the couch and walked away until until he stood directly in front of the mahogany shoji.

Naruto watched the lean and weary man shove his hands into his pockets and stare thoughtfully at the room divider. He didn't believe he was expecting too much of Sasuke. Sure, a life of crime didn't exactly make him a prime candidate for human compassion and empathy… but, there was goodness in him. Naruto was sure of it and he wasn't about to give up until the stubborn Uchiha realized it at well.

"How…" Sasuke didn't turn, but kept his eyes focused on the wooden room divider. "How did you last so long on the streets, being so fucking naive?" He shook his head at the shoji and then slowly turned to face the former street rat.

Naruto looked down at the glass of whiskey on the table. He grabbed it, chugged the rest and brought his eyes up to Sasuke's. "You mistake compassion and kindness for naivete." Naruto stood up and walked toward the young crime boss.

"Those are weaknesses and luxuries I am not afforded."

"You think it's weak, to want your employees strong? You think building a crew that respects you more than they fear you, is a luxury?" Naruto took another step toward Sasuke. He hadn't planned on their conversation taking this turn but as Sasuke's stubbornness hardened, Naruto's need to have the man to see beyond his narrow criminal worldview, grew.

Sasuke said nothing. He knew what the blond was trying to do. The moment had not only gotten away from him, but had also caught him off guard. All he wanted to do was get to the bottom of Naruto's late nights, and instead he found himself trapped in another endless debate about integrity and morality and eerily reminiscent of the old arguments he had with Itachi. Naruto always played too close to the memories of his brother and his current words were now severely testing his patience.

"What about me?" Naruto pushed. Standing his ground, he forced himself not to close the distance between them. "If I needed your help? Would you have turned your back on me too, Sasuke?"

The anger that was burning its way through Sasuke reached its boiling point. Blame was not something the young Uchiha was accustomed to. How was Sakura his fault? And now this… this game that Naruto was trying to play? " _I am not one of your ex-girlfriends, Naruto_." Sasuke gritted out from behind clenched teeth. "Don't you dare try to judge me by your morals. I am what I need to be. What I _have_ to be! Cold. Hard. Ruthless!" Sasuke pointed a finger at him. "Your _women…_? Konan, Hinata even Sakura, all did what they had to do to _survive_! You walked around this place, like a child who found out there was no Santa Claus for days, weeks! And for what? Because they hurt you in their attempts to survive? They did what they had to do!"

"Things they had to do because I left them behind!" Naruto blurted out and then snapped his mouth shut. He hadn't intended to confess his past mistakes to Sasuke and momentarily stunned, could only stare back at the Uchiha, trying to keep himself from revealing anything more.

"And Konan?" Sasuke shot back. "Are you going to keep pouting like a child over the way she used you to get closer to her goal?" The mobster's eyes pierced through him. "You'll be in for a life of pain if you keep placing everyone else's problems on your shoulders, Naruto." Sasuke clenched his fists, trying to keep from punching the blond. "Sakura, Konan, the Hyuga… regardless of whatever role you played, they, _we_ are all ultimately responsible for ourselves and no one else!" He shouted, sweeping a hand out in front of him.

Letting out a disgusted sound of exasperation, Sasuke patted his vest in search of his cigarettes, and then looked back at Naruto. He could see a sea of emotion building in the man's dark blue eyes and wanted nothing more than to keep provoking him until the storm busted through. "You ask me," Sasuke took a half-step toward Naruto, "what would I do if _you_ needed help? How about wish you well in California."

A flinch he flashed across the blond's face but Sasuke pressed on. "You cast me aside telling me you won't change your mind about leaving and how you aren't willing to risk the little time we have, all while expecting me to risk _my_ -" Sasuke stopped himself. Shaking his head he turned away and went the other way around the couch, purposely avoiding having to walk past Naruto.

Sasuke grabbed the decanter and poured his glass full, spilling some of it onto the table in his haste. "How dare you judge me, or them." He said before taking a long drink, all while keeping his blazing black eyes on the man in front of him. "When was the last time _you_ risked so much? I may not like your women but at least they didn't cower from the bitterness of life. They each risked all for a chance... for any kind of a chance!" Sasuke took another hard gulp of the whiskey.

"I…" Naruto tried to speak, but nothing else would come. He stood speechless in front of Sasuke. He thought back to his conversation with Hinata and the way he tried to convince her that their bonds of friendship were real. The way he asked Konan to trust him. Even the way he had just tried to get Sasuke to care about helping Sakura. Asking each one of them to take a chance… to take a risk and put their hearts and trust on the line… for him.

 _Then stay with me until you leave_.

His eyes flashed up at Sasuke as the memory of those words hit him. That day, Sasuke had taken a risk and Naruto, too caught up in protecting his own heart, had turned the man away. Realizing now how he had been the reason Sasuke had sought out Sasori, Naruto's heart sank and he stood frozen and gaping, as he tried to find the words to set it all right.

"Nothing to say?" Sasuke sneered at him. "All out of judgement and guilt?" Sasuke finished off his glass and then reached down for the rest of the whiskey. He poured himself another glass-full and looked up to find Naruto suddenly there.

Sasuke let the blond tug the bottle from his hand, and Naruto set it down without breaking their gaze. "I think you've had enough."

A pair of eyes, dark as the sea were fixed on Sasuke, but he made no move toward the blond. "I believe we've played this game already," he said said from around his glass trying to down the last of his drink.

Naruto was quicker. He grabbed hold of Sasuke's wrist, sending the whiskey everywhere. With his other hand he fisted Sasuke's shirt collar, dragging him in until they were face to face. A slow smirk grew on his lips. The Uchiha hadn't offered up the slightest bit of resistance.

Midnight eyes flared at him but Naruto was no stranger to the lust now searing through them. " _Teme_ …" Naruto spoke low. "I don't judge you… I just…"

Sasuke didn't budge; his eyes drank in Naruto's face and then lowered, narrowing in on his lips. "You just what?" He said flatly.

Leaning in, Naruto brushed his lips against Sasuke's. No longer wanting to resist, he closed his eyes and took in the intoxicating scent of the young Uchiha. Letting go of his wrist, he brought his hand up to Sasuke's neck, thumbing the soft palate under his ivory smooth chin with gentle force. "I just… I'm just not ready to give up on you."

The Uchiha pulled back slightly and caught Naruto's eyes with his own.

"I know you're a good man. Same as your brother…" Naruto said, repeating the words Konan had used only a few weeks ago. He noted Sasuke's reaction at the mention of Itachi but continued on, "And I'll never stop pushing 'til you see it too." A softness came to Naruto's eyes but Sasuke only stared back.

"You expect too much of me, _dobe_." Sasuke made no move to take hold of his former lover. He had no desire to be turned down again. Instead, he maintained his stoicism, and held the fervent blue eyes to his own, waiting to see what the blond would do next.

With both hands now gripping Sasuke's collar, the blond playfully shook the gangster before pulling him closer. "Maybe." He agreed with a half grin on his face. "I guess that's a risk I'm willing to take." He added and crushed his mouth over Sasuke's.

Vaguely, Naruto heard a thud as Sasuke's crystal glass hit the carpet, right before a pair of strong hands gripped his hair. Pushing his tongue into Naruto's mouth, Sasuke devoured the kiss.

The taste of whiskey immediately connected Naruto's brain to the flavor now forever tied to Uchiha Sasuke. Rich and smooth with a sharp tinge that sent the blond into an instant state of desire.

Both insatiable for the taste of the other, their tongues were frantic and their mouths aggressive. As Sasuke sucked hard on his tongue, Naruto's brain began to shut down. Every piece of his will, every reason he had for protecting his heart, shattered against the force of the man in his grip.

Naruto didn't want to think anymore. Dropping his hands to palm Sasuke's hard defined chest, the only thing Naruto wanted at this moment was to lose himself in the ecstasy of Uchiha Sasuke. Reaching lower, his hands grasped a hold of Sasuke's leather belt and furiously began tugging at it. Groaning at the action, the crime boss broke their kiss to pull back on Naruto's hair so he could ravage the honey-colored flesh of his lover's neck.

"Uungh, Sasuke." His eyes rolling back as Sasuke hungrily fed along the slope and crook of his neck, Naruto barely managed to pull Sasuke's belt free and undo his slacks before thrusting his hand inside, grabbing hold and stroking the dripping hardness he found there.

Sasuke's let out a deep growl against the hot skin of Naruto's neck and flexed his hips, demanding more from the intruding hand.

"Stay with me," Sasuke panted before licking and then biting the ridge of Naruto's jaw line.

"Uuughh...yes."

"Until October."

Naruto lifted his head; his burning blue eyes piercing Sasuke's dark orbs. "Yes."

Sasuke's kiss was ravenous. The blond was his. He sucked hard at Naruto's bottom lip before nipping it with his teeth, reveling in the shudder he felt ripple through his lover at the aggression. God, how he had missed this. Missed having Naruto all to himself. Missed the way he could drive the blond out of his mind, making him moan and writhe… for him. The need to possess the blond surged through him. Using the force of his body and his grip in Naruto's hair, he began walking forward, backing up the man in his arms and moving him closer to his bed.

Naruto continued to deftly stroke the hard length in his hand. With every grunt and groan he ripped from the Uchiha, the ache in Naruto's slacks became more unbearable. Frantic to draw out more sounds of pleasure, he barely noticed when the Uchiha began guiding him toward the bed. As soon as his brain made the connection, Naruto reluctantly pulled his hand out of Sasuke's slacks and quickly worked to unbutton his shirt cuffs and collar. Then yanking the shirt over his head, he pulled it off in one go.

"Naruto…" Sasuke stopped just as they reached the side of his bed and stared at Naruto's exposed chest. All the hard lines he remembered from their previous time together were now edged and defined, replacing the soft muscles that had before played around his waist. His eyes quickly took it the firmer pectorals and biceps as he ran his hands over the ridged lines moving just underneath the smooth tan skin. Catching the blond's eyes with his own, he raised a questioning brow at him.

"Been training at night." Naruto smirked at Sasuke, knowing full well that one mention of Kakashi's name could bring this whole moment to a screeching halt. Grin firmly in place, he kept his eyes on Sasuke as he sat down on the edge of the bed, slid off his belt and unbuttoned his pants. With Sasuke's rapt attention, Naruto reached into his opened slacks and pulled out his shaft.

His blue eyes danced with desire as he held Sasuke's gaze and steadily stroked himself, relishing the way Sasuke's eyes burned at the sight. "Like what you see?"

Sasuke licked his lips; his eyes narrowing at the slow movement of Naruto's hand around his cock.

God, how Naruto had come to crave the possessive glare now drinking him in. He could no longer deny how much he loved the way Sasuke desired and wanted every piece of him, not willing to settle for anything less than all of Naruto's being. The sheer intensity of Sasuke's gaze, his eyes watching him, hungry for him, left no room for anything else. Every doubt, every worry faded from his mind and was replaced with a desperate need to be consumed by Uchiha Sasuke.

A dark fervor shot through Sasuke, but not being so easily distracted, he reached down and grabbed both of Naruto's wrists and straddled him. He pinned both wrists above the blond's head and brutally kissed him, drawing blood as his bit his lover's lip before greedily sucking at the wound. Naruto let out a gritty whine and bucked up against him.

With his straining hard-on aching for relief, Sasuke did his best to ignore it and pushed forward to speak directly into Naruto's ear. "Who's been dropping you off every night?"

To his surprise Naruto let out a soft chuckle and smiled against his cheek. When he pulled back so he could read the blue eyes beneath him, Sasuke was flipped hard and suddenly found himself lying on his back with the blond now pinning him to the red satin sheets. "Is that what all this was about?" Naruto's grin widened as he increased his grip on Sasuke's wrists. Moving his hips in a slow steady rhythm and bringing the weight of his body down onto his lover, he ground their erections against each other. Naruto's eyes darkened as he watched the hardened gangster roll his eyes back; not able to hold onto the glare he had been trying to give the blond.

"My sleeping schedule? I seem exhausted and distracted?" Naruto leaned in and kissed Sasuke, letting his tongue play around his mouth, teasing and sliding, deep and slow until he heard the Uchiha let out a soft moan, then pulled back. "I've been training with Kakashi across town."

Naruto watched Sasuke's brows crease and his dark eyes begin to burn as if aflame. He knew if he let the man speak, they'd never get to finish what they started. So when Sasuke opened his mouth to most likely spew unholy obscenities, the blond leaned down and covered the mobster's lips with his own. This time he kissed the Uchiha hard. He sucked on Sasuke's tongue, nibbled harshly on his lips and ground his hips against him, frantically picking up the pace until he felt Sasuke finally respond by trying to lift up to increase the friction between them.

Breaking for air, Naruto's heavy breathing washed over Sasuke's lips, warming them as he spoke. "Are we gonna talk? Or are you gonna fuck me?"

The force of Sasuke was immediate. Twisting out of Naruto's grip, he shoved the blond hard. The sound of Naruto's laughter only worked to spur him on as he scrambled to flip him back over so he was again straddling Naruto.

Once he lifted his blue eyes up at Sasuke, Naruto's breath caught at the now flushed face of his lover staring back at him. With reddened, swollen lips and fierce black eyes, Sasuke's usual stoic mask had again cracked and the gangster looked positively sensuous. A feral smile washed over Naruto's face. "Well?" He asked. "Are we talking… or fucking?"

With lightning speed, Sasuke slid back and off Naruto, jerking down the blond's pants as he went. Yanking them completely off, Sasuke then took hold of the cut tan hips, flipped him over so Naruto was his stomach, and pulled his waist back until Naruto's legs were hanging off the edge and his torso was bent over the bed.

"Oh God yes." Naruto said as he looked behind him and watched Sasuke reach into his nightstand and bring out a familiar looking jar.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Sasuke was back behind him, shoving Naruto's face hard down against the bed.

From behind, a strong hand gripped his hip and Naruto fisted the satin sheets when he felt two slick fingers slide into him. "Uugh, fuck yes." He moaned and winced as the feeling of pleasurable pain laced through him all over again. When Sasuke found the magic spot, Naruto dug his face into the mattress and let out a loud groan. The sensation was maddening and Naruto had to fight to stifle a scream as a white hot current shot through him.

Sasuke slid a third finger into him and Naruto again fisted the sheets at the stretched feeling.

Between the heat wrapped around his fingers and Naruto's toned back muscles, Uchiha Sasuke was losing his control. He frantically worked to stretch the tight muscles while his eyes zeroed in on the tattoo now inscribed on the blond's right shoulder. He dug his fingers painfully into Naruto's hip at the sight of his name in ink and bit his lip as his lover slowly moved and pushed back against his hand. It was all he could do to keep from slamming into the blond.

Suddenly a pair of blazing blue eyes were looking back at him. Reaching back, Naruto pushed his hand away. "Enough, Sasuke... just fu-Uunngh!"

Sasuke hadn't hesitated. He pushed his cock all the way into the tight heat and leaned forward, biting down on Naruto's shoulder to keep the building moan inside him from escaping. With his length buried deep, Sasuke tried to breathe and hold still. He didn't want to cum so soon. Pressing his forehead against Naruto's back, his mind could only focus on how good it felt sliding into Naruto once again. Finally opening his eyes, he saw Naruto turn his head and glance behind him.

"Are you gonna fuck me or what?" His voice strained and breathless.

A low growl came from his throat as Sasuke raised himself up and began pumping harshly into the blond. The sounds coming from the Naruto sent a wild thrill through him as he felt him trying to match his pace and push back. "Naruto…" He panted, lost in his desire to claim the blond completely.

As his name fell from Sasuke's lips, Naruto rolled back his eyes and bit into the satin sheets to keep from screaming out. Just like before, the pain commingled with the pleasure, sending Naruto over the edge where all his mind could do was beg for more. The way Sasuke was deliciously moving in and out of him in long forceful thrusts; wildly pounding, caused a soft ragged whine to fall from his lips.

With his legs still hanging over the edge, Naruto moved to lift one of his knees onto the bed, opening himself wider. Taking it as a cue, Sasuke shifted his hips in search of the spot that would bring his lover closer to climax.

Using his new leverage, Naruto pushed his face harder against the mattress and arched his ass as much as he could. Just as the sound of their skin slapping together reached a high tempo, Sasuke hit the spot he was looking for and Naruto cried out.

"Uunngh fuck yes!" With white knuckles, he gripped and clawed at the sheets as guttural exclamations fell from his lips.

Moving his knee next to Naruto's, Sasuke lowered himself over the blond and drove into him with everything he had. He tucked one arm under Naruto's shoulder and wrapped his hand around his smooth tan throat, while his other hand braced himself against the bed.

Sasuke hadn't removed his shirt and Naruto found the sensation of his naked body against the Uchiha's crisp cotton shirt erotic. The friction of the bed against his cock was barely enough to satisfy, but as Sasuke ground harder and harder into him, Naruto felt his orgasm quickly approaching. "Fuck Sasuke… I'm gonna…"

Sasuke tightened his grip around Naruto's throat and with muscles burning, increased his pace. "Cum for me, Naruto." He grunted into his ear.

"Oh god, Sasuke, I'm uunngghh!" Naruto came hard. Emptying himself onto the red sheets, his body spasmed and he half sobbed into the mattress at the sheer ecstasy of his climax.

Seconds later, he felt the heat of Sasuke's seed flowing into him as shuddered moans filled his ears. "Naruto!" It was a quiet but desperate cry and Naruto turned his head toward the sound, straining to find his lover's mouth. Finding it, he kissed Sasuke slow and deep until he felt him pull out, allowing him to twist his body and fully embrace the now shaking man above him.

Still kissing him, his hands found the Uchiha's lean back and gently caressed the muscles up and down his spine. "Fuck I missed you," Naruto said into his mouth and Sasuke greedily swallowed the words, roughly kissing the blond and nipping at his lips.

Breaking their kiss, Sasuke yanked his sweat drenched shirt over his head and tossed it aside. Immediately, Naruto's hands sought out the sleek ivory skin and palmed the expanse of Sasuke's chest. Damn the Uchiha was beautiful. Dark eyes with sated lust and an open face, no longer hardened by heavy burdens stared back at him. Circling his hand around Sasuke's neck, Naruto pulled him down and kissed him. Unlike their previous kisses, he rested his lips on Sasuke's, gently pressing into their softness and relished the feel of warm breath washing against his own.

After a moment, Sasuke pulled back. "Why Kakashi?"

"No, no, no…" Naruto groaned. "Don't spoil it already!" His hands flopped down onto the bed and he closed his eyes, readying for the worst.

"Tch. I'm not trying to spoil anything, I'm simply wondering why you've been sneaking around with that fool of a man every night." Sasuke rolled off him and sat up. "First you leave the club with that Hyuga woman and then you stay out until all hours with my brother's old boyfriend." Sasuke spat out as he got up from the bed and headed to the washroom.

"Shit." Naruto mumbled and went after him. "Sasuke." He grabbed the Uchiha's arm and spun him around. Locking his arms around the man's waist, he pressed himself against him. "Listen to me, you jealous bastard." A soft smile formed on his lips as he leveled his blue eyes at him. "Hinata gave me a ride back to Pierrepont, that's all. Kakashi and I have been training, that's all." Ignoring the glare in the gangster's eyes, Naruto leaned in and kissed soft cords on his neck. "I don't want her." He said against his skin. "I don't want him." He ran his hands up the lean body and bit the hard edge of Sasuke's jaw. "I want _you_."

A soft moan escaped from Sasuke.

Naruto lifted his head. " _And_ ," he continued as he stared into the Uchiha's pitch black eyes. "Since we're on the subject, just what the hell were you doing with Sasori in your bedroom?"

" _Dobe_ ," he answered, taking hold of Naruto's hips. "He's a paid informant. That's all he's ever been. You can't really think he'd be my type." Sasuke lifted a brow at the blond.

Naruto shot him a suspicious smirk and nodded. Just then, he became aware of a rather uncomfortable feeling dripping down his thigh and scrunched up his face. "I need a shower." He moved past Sasuke and threw him a sly grin before walking into the bathroom. "You coming?"

* * *

It was close to two hours before Naruto and Sasuke returned to the club. Though no one said anything about their lengthy absence, a few glances did come their way as they walked across the dance floor; Sasuke heading back to the bar and Naruto returning to the table where he left his jacket.

"Sorry about earlier, Ten. I wanted to help clean up but…"

Tenten shot the blond a smirk. "That's alright. I hope you didn't get into too much trouble."

His hand went to the back of his neck. "Heh, uh, nah… uh anything left for prep?"

Doing her best to refrain from teasing the blond over the blushing in his cheeks, Tenten forced her smile away. "Go find Gaara. He doing rounds while we wait for the Hyuga's men to show up."

Naruto reached for his holster and started working it over his shoulders. "What time do they get here?" He asked.

"Not for a few hours but I'm feeling uneasy 'bout the whole thing. So keep your eyes peeled for anything and everything, kay?"

Naruto eyed the petite brunette. "You think Neji might make a move?"

Tenten let out a sigh. "I don't know. He could just be taking advantage of their upcoming deal and just wanting to have a little fun in the club tonight, but with whole last minute thing, my suspicion is on alert, ya know?"

Naruto nodded, finished up with his gun strap and then threw on his jacket. Just before he left to get his leather shoes from the dressing room and look for Gaara, he glanced over at Sasuke. If the Hyuga was planning anything for tonight, Naruto would make damn sure no one got the drop on Sasuke.

Sure enough the slick Uchiha was already looking his way. He lifted his brow at the blond and Naruto gave an uneasy grin back at him before slowly turning around and leaving through the stage door.

It was nearing nine in the evening when Sasuke, with Naruto in tow, finally headed to the main lobby to welcome his Friday night guests.

Naruto had been assigned to shadow the Uchiha all night. Tenten had told him that if anyone could keep Sasuke under control should the shit hit the fan, it would be Naruto.

Naruto had chuckled at her assessment.

Three men from Hyuga Neji's crew had shown up only a little over an hour ago to inspect the club and the VIP section where Neji's table was set. Gaara was overseeing them settling in, while Sai and Sasori were on patrol. After receiving the call that the Hyuga would be coming, Sasuke told Tenten he wanted Naruto as his body man and Gaara stationed at the Hyuga's table. "If there's something to be noted, it's doubtful the redhead will miss it."

Tenten agreed and re-positioned Juugo in the lobby.

Three more men plus Neji and Hinata were expected shortly. Sasuke had known from the beginning that the Hyuga's madam would be joining him but thought it was best not to mention it to Naruto. The blond was already wound tight over all the women in his life and with Naruto assigned to Sasuke, chances were that he'd have little contact with Hinata anyway and thereby be saved any additional anxiety.

Naruto's little revelation back in his suite had not gone unnoticed by Sasuke, regardless of the way he chose to not respond to it. Thinking back to the pain he saw in the blond's eyes when Hinata had first shown up at the club with Neji, Sasuke now knew why the scene had hit Naruto so hard.

They briefly talked about the orphanage during their first night together, but Naruto never mentioned how he managed to leave the place. He also failed to mention any parents so the obvious assumption was that the blond had escaped... _and left Hinata behind_ , his mind finished for him.

As they walked into the lobby and toward the hotel front desk, Sasuke darted his eyes over at Naruto, wondering at the kind of man who would after all these years, still carry that sort of guilt with him.

Naruto caught the look and furrowed his brow at the Uchiha. "Sasuke… everything alright?"

"I'm just hoping you're not off your game tonight. All that night training with Kakashi has you looking sluggish, Uzumaki." Sasuke answered and then turned to inspect the reservations book at the desk.

"Well it's not like you gave me much rest either. Eh, Sasuke?" Naruto said from behind him.

Sasuke kept to his expressionless face but shot a hard look at the desk clerk, causing the old man to quickly turn away and busy himself with mail and other paperwork. Sasuke didn't need to turn around to know there was now a sarcastic smirk plastered across Naruto's face. Instead he looked down at the registry and tried to remember the long night they had ahead them and that it would be hours before he'd be able to make the blond pay for his smart ass jab. Sasuke let a small gleam come to his eyes as he thought of just how tired he would make Naruto once the club closed for the night.

"Here they come." Sasuke looked up at the sound of Naruto's voice and saw the first of his patrons entering the lobby.

"Hn." He replied and walked to meet them.

From only a few feet away, Naruto watched the way Sasuke smoothed his words and shook hands with his wealthy guests. The Uchiha even managed a small smile or two and Naruto had to shake himself to pay more attention to the people arriving and less at the way Sasuke seemed to ooze sex appeal. The crowd was beginning to thicken and Naruto couldn't help but notice the way everyone stared at the dark-eyed man. Girls were practically shoving their way close to him, just to get a handshake or a word of hello. While the eyes of quite a few men, lingered far longer than Naruto cared for at the Uchiha's fit ass.

No matter how amiable Sasuke presented himself to his guests, Naruto didn't miss the slight tension in his posture. Friendliness was definitely not in Sasuke's nature and Naruto laughed to himself at the sight. The Uchiha was absolutely not enjoying all the attention. It didn't matter how many admirers the man had or how much they fawned over him, Sasuke could care less and Naruto had to admit, he was more than a little pleased by it. Satisfaction of now having the Uchiha for himself rolled through him. He knew he was playing close to the edge with his feelings for Sasuke but he didn't care. He wanted the man and Sasuke wanted him back. As for the day he and Gaara would be leaving for California, he made up his mind to cross that bridge when he got there.

Just past the lobby doors, Naruto noticed a Rolls Royce pull up to the curb. "Sasuke," he called to him and walked up to the entrance, holding the door open for the Uchiha.

After a few short nods and welcomes to the people around him, Sasuke excused himself and headed out the glass door Naruto was holding. At the curb and getting out of the luxury car was Hyuga Neji. His driver eyed both Naruto and Sasuke as he held the door for the Hyuga but gave no greeting.

"Neji, welcome." Sasuke said as he approached. The Hyuga nodded and smiled, then quickly looked back into the car and held out his hand. A slender black gloved hand took his as Hinata emerged from the Rolls Royce.

Naruto couldn't help the way his stomach tightened. He had a feeling she would be joining Neji, but even after all that happened between them, Naruto still couldn't stop the wave of guilt that washed through him. He offered a small smile to them both and reminded himself that protecting Sasuke was more important than whatever past pains he had to endure this evening.

Sasuke held out his hand to Neji and then to Hinata, lifting her hand to his mouth but stopping just shy of his lips. Letting her go, he smiled softly at her and then held out his arm, directing them into the lobby. "Please, come in. It's my genuine pleasure to welcome you both."

"Thank you for accommodating us so last minute, Sasuke. My Hinata has been after me to bring her and with the rave reviews I read about your lounge singer in the paper this morning, I thought it was about time for us to take in a bit of the nightlife." Neji followed Sasuke into the lobby with Hinata on his arm and Naruto trailing close behind.

Three more of the Hyuga's men came in behind Naruto, scanning the area as they went. Naruto moved to keep both Sasuke and the three foot soldiers within his peripheral vision. With a look to Juugo standing near the front desk, the large ginger moved to the club entrance and stood next to Genma.

"Neji. Given our line of work, it would be ridiculous of me to not allow your men to carry weapons into my club." Sasuke faced the Hyuga and kept his voice even and smooth. "However, I would like to request that your men reveal what weapons they are holding, as a sign of trust. In return, please know that each of my men are also armed and I've already instructed every one of them, if asked by you, to be forthcoming as well."

"How very democratic, Sasuke," Neji replied with a smile. "I wholeheartedly agree with your request." He turned to his men standing around them. "Gentlemen, if you would, please."

One by one, the Hyuga's men opened their coats and showed what they were carrying to Genma. Juugo also took note but stood back far enough to not crowd the club entrance. Once the bouncer was satisfied, he nodded to all the men and respectfully bowed his head to Neji and Hinata. "Enjoy your evening."

Winding their way through the club brought looks and stares from most all the patrons. While the majority of white guests paid little or no attention, the eyes of the Japanese clientele followed the group's every move. The Asian community in New York was small but the Japanese populace was even smaller. There wasn't a single Japanese guest that didn't know exactly who Hyuga Neji was and they all gaped at the scene.

Once the Hyuga was settled in the VIP balcony, Sasuke motioned to Gaara, who was already there waiting, and took a seat across from Neji. The redhead took his position near the second table just a few feet away from Naruto, and Sasuke snapped his fingers. Ino then stepped forward with the Sake, filling the cups all around the Hyuga's table.

Leaning back into his chair, Sasuke let a small smile lift his mouth. "While I do have a few things that need my attention, I'd like to take this moment to welcome you both." Sasuke lifted up his cup. "I had lobster especially prepared for you this evening and champagne direct from France, being chilled, should you tire of the Sake. Your meal, drinks and any other amenities you wish are courtesy of the club this evening." Sasuke lowered his chin respectfully. "As my personal guests, please enjoy your evening here at The Tokyo Palace."

" _Arigato_ , Sasuke." Neji returned the gracious nod and they all drank to the welcoming toast.

"We're grateful for your generous hospitality, Sasuke," Hinata added, smiling at the Uchiha and he nodded her way.

Naruto stood by silently, not missing Sasuke's reserved tone or Hinata's forced smile. To anyone else the whole exchange might have appeared cordial but Naruto knew better. The way Sasuke's shoulders tensed. The soft crease around Hinata's eyes. Naruto read the undercurrent of their small talk with ease and couldn't help but hope Sasuke wouldn't stay at the table much longer.

Down on the stage, the band kicked up with Tommy Dorsey's Opus One just as Sasuke stood up from the table. "My sincerest apologies for having to leave you. Unfortunately, running a club sometimes needs my full attention, but I'll return shortly after dinner."

Neji lifted up his sake-filled cup. "Of course. We'll look forward to your return."

As Sasuke turned from the table, Naruto briefly caught Hinata's eyes. Not being able to hold them for very long, he wasn't sure about the look in her silver eyes. Not quite sadness and not quite affection, stared back at him. Turning from it quickly, he followed after Sasuke and wondered just what it was in those eyes.

 _Be careful, Naruto_.

Her words floated down to him as he headed down the VIP staircase. With sudden alertness, Naruto scanned the club. Still only a few feet behind Sasuke, the blond made sure to keep his boss in sight as he took in everything around him. Had Hinata's words been meant for tonight? Not having any way to know for sure, he made a mental note to alert Tenten first chance he got. His eyes settled on Sasuke who was now heading for the box office. _Looks like I'm earning my paycheck tonight_ , he thought and picked up his pace behind the Uchiha.

 _To be continued…_

* * *

A/N: I hope you liked the chapter and yes, the evening at the club is going to be a long chapter. I'll do my best to get it out as soon as I can! But, I will be taking a few days off to play my new Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm game LOL -which has been waiting for me while I worked on this chapter! Hope you'll all forgive me. Until next time, many blessings and thanks so much for reading!


	16. Chapter 16: An uneventful night

**Warning** : BoyXBoy, light yaoi situations, smoking, drinking, cursing and all around dark themes that I make no apologies for.

 **Author's note** : Oh man am I sorry for the long wait. I had so much I needed to get into this chapter that it became so overwhelming and I stressed through the whole thing. I really wanted to bring this story together and give you the best I have. I hope you like it. ALSO! Sometime back I warned you all that this story would be getting darker as it went on. After all, this fic is based in the crime world and let's be honest. Much more horrific things go on in the deep dark places than what I've put in my story. So, if you're not sure you wanna venture this far down, please find another fic to read. Because in this world, the bad men are really bad. With that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter coming at you at 13k. And as always, thanks so much for sticking around, Dear Reader.

 **Disclaimer** : Kishi owns Naruto and I make no money from any of this.

And a special thank you to my **Bae, Kizu!** Without you, I seriously don't think I could do this. All my love to you 3.

* * *

 **Chapter 16: An uneventful night**

Pushing their way through the nightclub guests, Naruto and Sasuke made their way to the box office. Locking the door behind him, Naruto turned to Tenten at the ticket window. "Ten."

Tenten looked over at them both and immediately read the concern on Naruto's face. Sasuke turned to face him as well, wondering what was suddenly on the blond's mind.

"One moment, please." Tenten smiled at the customer in the window and then closed it. "What's happened, Naru?"

"I know this is gonna sound crazy but... I think we should close the club down tonight."

"Close the club? Naruto what's going on?" Tenten made to get up from her chair but Naruto held up his hand to her.

Naruto faced Sasuke. "When Hinata gave me a lift a few weeks ago, she sorta warned me. Nothing specific but before I left her car, she told me to be careful."

Sasuke creased his brow at the blond. "Why didn't you say something earlier?"

"I forgot about it. Seeing her just now, reminded me of it. I honestly hadn't thought about it since."

Sasuke eased a little at his words.

"But now," Naruto continued. "With her and Neji showing up and at the last minute, I don't like it."

"If something was going down, Neji wouldn't have brought her with him, would he?" Tenten asked, looking from Naruto back to Sasuke.

The two men locked eyes. "What if he would?" Naruto propositioned.

Sasuke stood thoughtfully for a moment. There was no way he was going to suggest Naruto try and get information from Hinata tonight. Thinking back to when he first told the blond to use his friendship with her, he was reminded of the rage he felt at seeing Naruto drive off with the woman. No, Sasuke had no intention of pushing Naruto in her direction again.

"I can't close the club. Tell me you have something better in mind." Sasuke gave him a hard look.

"Then we should close the box office and soon." Naruto looked from Sasuke to Tenten. "Keep the numbers low and get Tenten out of the office and out on the floor."

"Tenten," Sasuke said without taking his eyes off Naruto.

"It's a good idea," she answered. "We can say the Fire Marshall requirements, blah blah. I'll load the cash and books into the safe and set Sas's rig."

"I'll take a loss tonight," Sasuke added.

Naruto didn't flinch from his boss's glare. "I don't give a shit. My job is to protect you. I'm not here to increase your profits."

"Naruto-"

"We can't shut down the club, because it'll tip off the Hyuga, I get it. And we can't send you back to Pierrepont, so this is the only other option we have."

"Okay." Sasuke stared at Naruto.

"Okay?" The blond replied.

"I would have agreed sooner but you seemed determined to not let me speak."

Naruto shot the gangster a wry smirk. "Ten," he said, turning his attention to the brunette. "How long before we reach half capacity?"

"Another hour? Two at most. The people are coming, they're just flowing in like molasses."

"Two hours or half capacity, whichever comes first. No exceptions." Naruto hardened his eyes at Sasuke, daring him to disagree but the gangster only held to his usual stoic mask.

"Sounds good to me, Naru." Tenten watched the way the two men were posturing for each other. Trying to hold back her laughter, she wondered if they knew just how much they were already head over heels for one another. Clearing her throat to stifle a giggle, she spoke up. "Ah-hem. Two hours it is then."

Tenten reopened the ticket window and the two men remained in the box office with her for another twenty minutes as Sasuke went over the numbers and books. Other than a few words here and there, Naruto watched in silence as the dark eyed man worked. He marveled over the way Sasuke seemed to take in every number and calculation with ease. Tenten would fire off the counts of guests, the number of liquor bottles she would get from the kitchen updates and so on, and Sasuke would nod, make entries in his logs and figure out the projected profit for the night. Naruto knew if he tried to compliment the Uchiha, he would just dismiss it the way he had that time in the suite. The blond let a smile touch his lips and decided to leave his admiration of Sasuke's talents for later.

After Sasuke and Tenten were done swapping numbers, the gangster looked up at the blond. "Front desk and then the kitchen."

"Ten," Naruto called over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off his boss.

"Ready." She stood up and followed them both to the box office door.

Naruto opened the entrance and scanned the area before walking through. "Clear."

"See ya in an hour and a half, Naru," Tenten called after him.

Sasuke walked to the main staircase, nodding hellos as he went. Although, not used to being looked after, he would have been lying if he said he wasn't enjoying Naruto's overprotectiveness. The blond was on high alert but it was the Hyuga woman who had set it all in motion. The mention of Hinata had irked the Uchiha, but when Naruto spoke of forgetting about the incident, there had been no lie in his blue eyes, making it easy for Sasuke to dismiss the unpleasant feeling that had come at the mention of her.

It didn't escape Sasuke that Hinata's warning had specified _Naruto_ be careful and no one else, but it was obvious the blond didn't care who the warning was for, he was determined to take any and all precautions necessary.

As they both passed through the club entrance, Genma lifted his chin at them and Juugo looked over from his post as Sasuke and Naruto moved up to the reception desk.

The old man behind the counter, quickly turned the book around for Sasuke's inspection but this time, kept his eyes lowered. Sasuke scanned the logs. The rooms weren't as full as they had been last week, but it was early yet. His eyes twitched knowing he'd be closing the club doors soon. Most of the hotel's business was made up of couples too eager to leave the club with their dates or too drunk to make it home. Once in awhile couples looking to hide away for a night or two or overnight businessmen added to his client list, but Sasuke's bread and butter was first and foremost The Palace nightclub's clientele.

There was no doubt in his mind that Naruto's idea to close the doors early was the right one. Of course one night wouldn't put much of a dent in Sasuke's profits; the weeks after the shootout had done some damage, but the club had come back strong, even if only due to the curiosity and the thrill within the Japanese community about returning to the scene of the gunfight. The hotel had been pulling in larger numbers than before the shooting, leaving Sasuke far from worried.

He also hadn't missed the increased interest in his new blond foot soldier. Gossip, it seemed, had indeed traveled far. Over the past few weeks, Sasuke had noticed the way his female guests and more than a few male regulars had began watching Naruto's every move. With the Uchiha's eyes always glued to the blond, he marked each gaze, every lip bite and each time a hungry look fell Naruto's way. Sasuke was used to being on the receiving end of such attention, easily dismissing every advance of his many admirers, but having to stand aside while others lusted after the blond had irritated the gangster like an unseen splinter working its way through his skin.

But he didn't have to stand aside anymore. As he flipped through the hotel register and recent receipts, his thoughts settled on the agreement he and Naruto had made back in the suite. October was a little less than three months away and Sasuke already knew it wouldn't be enough time. Like any Uchiha, once he set his sights on something, he wanted it with every fiber of his being, and as fate would have it, Sasuke wanted Naruto.

"Shit."

Sasuke looked up from the books at Naruto standing next to him. "Sasuke, I don't like this." Naruto said in a low voice and Sasuke followed the blond's gaze towards the lobby doors.

"Sasuke, good you're here." Madara strode toward Sasuke with familiar Uchiha confidence.

"Uncle." Sasuke managed to not look surprised, though his heart rate clearly registered Madara's sudden appearance. "What can I do for you? I'm busy. I only have a moment or two before I need to attend to my guests." He glanced to the right and nodded a welcome to the man standing next to his uncle. "Obito."

The elder Uchiha lifted his chin at his junior. "I heard about your guests this evening. I came to make sure things were being handled accordingly."

Sasuke said nothing.

"Sasuke." Obito stepped forward. "Uncle and I wish to be seated next to Hyuga Neji. Of course, you can arrange this, eh Sasuke-kun?"

"I'm afraid Neji requested to dine alone this evening. I'm sure you both understand my desire to keep the Hyuga happy." Sasuke turned from them both and brought his attention back to the hotel logs.

Obito stepped forward. "Sasuke. I think you're not understanding your place. We're not asking."

"And I think you're not understanding who the fuck you're talking to," Sasuke retorted without looking up. "Mind your tone with me, _cousin."_

"This is not open for discussion, Sasuke," Madara cut in, letting anger color his words. "I could shut you down this instant, you petulant brat."

Naruto shifted slightly, knowing Sasuke wouldn't miss the movement. When Sasuke glanced over at the blond, immediately their eyes exchanged an air of caution and confidence. Looking again to his uncle and cousin, he held to his uninterested attitude and turned back to his paperwork. "Naruto."

"I'll be happy to see to the arrangements. Please just give me a moment to get your table ready." Naruto stepped up to the front desk. " _Ojiisan_." He motioned for the telephone and the old man set it in front of him. "Ten, I'm at the front desk with Sasuke and his Uncle, Madara. He would like a table set up for him in VIP next to the Hyuga."

" _Shit. I'm guessing you have no choice,"_ she replied.

"For two please," Naruto said.

" _Got'cha. I'll close the box office now and have the table set. I'll come grab them in a shake. Some night this is turning out to be, eh Naru?"_

"Thanks, Ten." Naruto hung up and looked back at the older Uchiha. He couldn't quite bring himself to smile at the man but he also didn't want to give either one the impression he was suspicious. "Someone will be here in a moment to take you to your table," he said, keeping his voice light and welcoming.

The elder Uchiha eyed the blond. "So you are Naruto." Cold eyes bore into him.

Before he respond, the man standing next to Madara stepped closer. "I'm Obito, Sasuke's cousin. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Naruto." He held out his hand and though reluctant to accept it, Naruto shook his hand.

"Likewise," he said. Before he could help himself, Naruto's eyes were drawn to the scarring on the right side of Obito's face. Rough lines plagued the area around the man's right eye, setting deep grooves into the skin, pulling at it, as if it were trying to grow away from his cheek bone. Quickly pulling his gaze and hand away he turned back to the club entrance and signaled to Genma, who had been diligently watching the entire scene. The doorman nodded just before the club doors opened, grabbing his attention.

A familiar petite brunette walked into the lobby and made her way to where Naruto was waiting. "Sorry to keep you waiting," she said as she walked up. "Gentlemen, this way please."

Sasuke was now facing his Uncle and extended his arm at Tenten's approach. "Enjoy your evening, Uncle... _cousin_. I'll come see to your needs soon."

Tenten smiled warmly at the visiting Uchiha's and turned back to the club entrance. Obito made to follow her but Madara held his ground. "Be careful, Sasuke." The patriarch turned but didn't meet Sasuke's eyes. "This is business and you would do well to mind your own," he said and then walked off, following Tenten into the club.

As soon as all three disappeared through the door, Naruto turned to his boss. "Sasuke."

"Not here." Sasuke headed for the hotel elevator and Naruto followed. Once they reached the bottom level, Sasuke moved through the kitchen, finding his way to the walk-in refrigerator. "In here." Without saying a word to the staff, everyone cleared out and left the two alone.

The blond moved in closer and Sasuke could faintly feel the warmth radiating from his body. _How was the blond always giving off so much heat?_ Pushing the distraction away he looked into the questioning blue eyes. "Taking me out here at the club would be too bold, even for Madara." Sasuke reached into his vest pocket and pulled out his cigarettes. Naruto immediately pulled out his matches and lit it for him. Holding their eyes together for a moment, Sasuke took a hard drag and then passed it to the blond, who took it without hesitation. "My guess would be, Madara is paranoid. He's keeping an eye on my interaction with Neji, possibly afraid the Hyuga might try to play both sides."

Naruto exhaled and passed the cig back to the Uchiha. "He thinks Neji might double-cross him?"

This time Sasuke took a slow drag. "We can't know for sure, but my uncle seemed determined to keep an eye on things tonight." He offered the cigarette again but Naruto shook his head. So he tossed it down and snuffed it out with his shoe. "There's more to it, but I'm not seeing it."

The frustration on Sasuke's face wasn't missed. Naruto stepped closer and softened his eyes. "I won't let anything happen to you."

One look at Naruto's steeled determination and Sasuke's pulse quickened. For the second time he had to remind himself, it would be hours yet, before he and the blond would be able to retire to his suite for the evening. "I know," he said and shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from grabbing the blond and yanking him in close. "Your idea to keep capacity low tonight was right on the money. We'll have to stay on our toes. Whatever is behind Madara's thinking and Neji's last minute reservation will play itself out tonight. Of this I have no doubt."

A slow nod came from Naruto and despite his growing anxiety, he gave the Uchiha a half grin. "Then let's get to it."

Sasuke lifted a small smirk. "Hn."

Naruto led the way out of the cooler and back to the club. With a now heightened sense of caution, he held the kitchen door open for Sasuke. With quick scans to the left and right, the Uchiha then moved past him with Naruto close behind. Faintly, Naruto caught a quick whiff of the man's scent, causing him to stare after the man who was now his lover. Everything about the Uchiha was so goddamned intoxicating. His voice, his scent… his taste. Shoving that line of thinking right back down, he shook his head clear. He knew the hard desire he normally felt for the man was turning into something darker. Something he was sure he would have to face come October. But until then, he needed to focus on keeping Sasuke safe.

The Uchiha and his blond bodyguard moved across the crowded dance floor, garnering smiles and slaps on the back from the happy, half drunk patrons. The band was roaring and it seemed wherever Naruto looked, people were dancing, shoving and practically falling over themselves. Every one of them a potential threat.

Naruto's eyes darted from one to the next; trying to track every motion and read every gesture. The women all smiled and tried to push up against the Uchiha, hoping their flirtations would earn them some kind of response from the gangster, and Naruto did his best to hold back and not shove himself in between the man and his many admirers. As a gaggle of girls surrounded them, Naruto became annoyed at each caress or stealthy hand placement. He knew Sasuke had no interest in the women or the men, but the knowledge did nothing to quell his bubbling jealously.

Soon the crowd eased up and Naruto looked to Sasuke, suddenly aware of where they were headed. Up in the VIP, The Hyuga and Madara were waiting for them and Naruto knew there would be no avoiding the encounter. Instantly, he remembered Gaara was stationed at the Hyuga's table and worry gripped him. He knew his best friend was more than capable, but Naruto's anxiety rose nonetheless. Whatever Madara and Neji had planned was still a mystery, putting each one of Sasuke's crew in danger and giving Gaara a front row seat.

As his adrenaline rose, Naruto's thoughts swam with the lessons he had been taking from Kakashi. During the past few weeks, the training had definitely made an impact on the blond. Over and over again, the white haired old man had knocked him around with surprising ease, trying to beat into him, reflexes, strength and the necessity of always being prepared. The only reason why Naruto had come home every night sore and bruised had been due to Kakashi never letting up. The one-eyed man didn't believe in going easy on him. _You must learn to be ready for anything._ Naruto heard those words again in his head as he followed Sasuke up the stairs. He steadied his breathing and focused on the adrenaline coursing through his body just as Kakashi had taught him, silently hoping he had learned enough from the old man to get him through the night.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, Sasuke called to him in a low voice. "Naruto."

"Hai," the blond replied and shortened their distance between each other to a mere two feet.

From the VIP landing, Sasuke took in the sight of the man who murdered his brother and the clan leader who most likely assisted him and slowly approached. Both men were seated at their respective tables, half smiling at each other, with sake cups in hand and raised in toast.

"Gentlemen. I hope you are enjoying your evening." Sasuke's heavy voice poured over all of them as Neji and Madara drank off their sake and then nodded to him. "It seems your arrival was quite fortuitous, uncle. I loathed having to leave Neji while I attended to business matters but now that you're here, you can both get more acquainted." Sasuke absentmindedly adjusted his cufflinks as he looked to Gaara, who was stone faced and standing back against the wall, in between the two tables. "Gaara, I'd like you to see to my uncle's every need this evening. He is to want for nothing. Understood?"

Gaara nodded, not missing the look in the Uchiha's eyes. _Understood._

"That won't be necess-" Madara began.

"I insist," Sasuke cut in. "You and Obito are my guests this evening and I will make sure my staff attends to you every second you're here. It would be my pleasure." A gleam came to the young Uchiha's eyes and he lowered his chin at his uncle. With a brisk turn, he then faced Neji and Hinata. "I trust the lobster was to your liking?"

"It was delicious, Sasuke. You truly out did yourself; we enjoyed our meal, immensely." Neji lifted his sake cup again and warm smile lifted at his mouth. Sasuke thought the Hyuga's good mood had more to do with the sake than his appreciation, but he figured a drunk Hyuga was probably less dangerous than a cold sober one and gave the man a small smile back.

"My pleasure." Just then Ino stepped onto the balcony with a fresh bottle of sake in her hand and Sasuke turned to her. "Ino, please select two more girls from the staff to help you care for my guests. If you think three would be better, bring three."

"Yes, Sasuke." Ino glanced around and tried not to let her annoyance at now having to wait on both Hyuga's _and_ Uchiha Madara show.

Not wanting to stay around his adversaries one second longer than necessary, Sasuke eyed both men and graciously lowered his chin, hoping they didn't catch the hard glare in his eyes. "I'll leave you to your evening and return later. My apologies, but business matters are waiting." Sasuke adjusted his necktie and turned to leave.

Before following, Naruto shot a quick look at Gaara and the friends exchanged their usual concern for one another. Neither dared so much as a nod but passed a silent acknowledgement between them all the same.

 _Be careful._

"Nice move," Naruto said as they reached the floor and walked over to where Tenten was sitting at the bar. "You made it impossible for your uncle to dismiss Gaara _and_ made sure he knew he would be watched the whole night."

"Hn," was the only answer Sasuke gave and Naruto almost smirked at the sly raven-haired man.

"Tenten." Sasuke looked up at the young woman. She was sitting atop the bar, her legs crossed and draped over the edge.

With a touch of embarrassment, Naruto averted his eyes away from the high slits in her dress that showed off her shapely legs, and instead glanced up at the red cape hanging lazily over her shoulders and tied loosely around her neck. Remembering back to the night they first met, he had no doubt the small woman was already armed to the teeth.

Tenten nodded at Sasuke's voice but didn't pull her eyes away from the club floor. "Now that the box office is closed, Genma is working the entrance balcony." She flicked her head up and to the right where Sasuke immediately saw the doorman positioned above; scanning the dance floor below. "Juugo has the lobby and Sai and Sas are moving throughout the club and kitchen, keeping a sharp eye on the other three Hyuga men." A small smile grew on Tenten's face. "Me? I think staying close to VIP is the best place for me. From here I can watch Genma and easily mark both Sai and Sasori as they work the floor."

Again, Sasuke was pleased with himself at uncovering the hidden talent of his former cocktail waitress. He was confident she had everything covered and took in a deep breath as he followed her line of sight and surveyed the club. "I was thinking two or three more men might suit us," he said, his voice flat, not wanting to accidently convey that he was unsure or doubtful of her management skills.

A broad smile grew across Tenten's face. "I was thinking the same thing." She brought her rich brown eyes down and winked at her boss. "I'll start looking immediately," she said and then returned to her casual surveillance.

Naruto watched Sasuke stuff his hands into his pockets and pull his shoulders back ever so slightly. The Uchiha looked… _proud_. For a moment he let his mind drift back to their argument that morning in the suite. _All of us, Sasuke. All of us are here for you. We all work for you. We protect you._ A wistful look came to the blond's eyes and he wondered if his words had in fact reached the Uchiha.

Remembering himself, Naruto quickly turned his attention back to their surroundings, marking several guests as they walked past, before catching the eyes of the bartender. Naruto never introduced himself to the white-haired old man that oversaw the soda pop and cigarettes. The man had to be over six feet tall, Naruto thought, and the man gave the blond a mischievous grin at the sudden attention.

Not wanting to stare, Naruto turned away and again kept his eyes moving. Just as he brought his eyes back around to the bar, Sasuke turned to face him and the two exchanged a look. Naruto straightened up and trailed after Sasuke as the gangster walked past Tenten and toward the box office.

Once inside, the laughter and music was cut off to a low muffle as Naruto closed the door and locked it. "Well, fuck, if this ain't a hit on all sixes." Slackjawed, Naruto ran a hand through his hair. "All we're missing now is Orochimaru. You wanna ring him or should I?"

A quick tug at his neck loosened the tension on sasuke's tie. " _Dobe_ , in this business, you're going to have to get used to feeling on edge." He turned to face Naruto. "This is how it is. Wondering what the next moment will bring. Stopping the adrenaline from causing you to panic." Sasuke moved in closer. "Madara is paranoid and Neji is already drunk. They're posturing, nothing more."

Blond eyes lifted and locked on the Uchiha's dark ones. "I don't want to get used to this." Naruto let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't want to have to keep looking over my shoulder. What I _want_ , is -" Naruto snapped his mouth shut. Their current arrangement was still new and he wasn't sure if letting his emotions run away with him was the best idea.

"Naruto." Easily reading the look on the blond's face, Sasuke eyes turned uncharacteristically soft as he closed the distance between them, stopping only when they were a foot apart. He didn't want to question why Naruto felt safe and familiar. He didn't want to explore why behind closed doors he found it easy to relax and let down his guard. "There's time," he said quietly and lowered his eyes to Naruto's lips, before dropping them lower, focusing on the adam's apple of his lover, as it slowly rose and fell.

This time Naruto moved in closer and the dark eyed gangster lifted his gaze at his approach. For a moment Naruto took in his lover's face; stoic yet soft, as if waiting for a moment of reprieve. The sight made Naruto's heart heavy with an ill-defined emotion. He wanted Sasuke. He cared for him. Yet, there was some other emotion just underneath that pulled, causing a slight panic to rush through him. Not able to grasp it and slightly afraid to try, Naruto shook his head and reached out, grabbing Sasuke's vest and shaking the gangster. With his mouth open but not finding the words, the blond creased his brows and decided that words would no longer be sufficient.

Tugging Sasuke close, he rested his forehead against him, closed his eyes and breathed him in. A deep sense of relief washed through him when he felt Sasuke's hands grip his waist in return, making him wonder if he'd ever stop being surprised that Sasuke wanted him back. He pulled harder at the vest in his hands, bringing their bodies together tight and nuzzled his face down the pale cheek to the sleek warm neck below it. He kissed it tenderly. When Sasuke arched his neck in response, Naruto bit harshly at the skin, causing the hardened gangster to let out a sharp hiss, right before digging his fingers into Naruto's waist, yanking him forward and giving him a hard grind.

"Naruto…" Sasuke let out a soft breath and lowered his head to stare directly into the dark blue eyes of his lover. His chest tightened at the sight. The blond was as readable as ever. The lust and desire were unmistakable but it was the doubt and fear swimming in the sea of blue that stole his breath. Was the blond afraid for him… or was the fear something else? He opened his mouth to question him just as the sound of the telephone's shrill ring pierced the small office.

Neither man made a move. Finally, on the fourth ring, Naruto gave his boss a half grin and stepped away from him, turning to where the phone sat.

"This is Naruto."

" _Naruto! It's Shika. The guy at the front desk put me through when I gave him your name."_

"Shika?" The concerned sound in his voice caused Sasuke to crease his brows at the blond. "What's happened? Is it one of the guys?"

" _Nah, we're all fine. This is about that Obito guy I spotted on Pell a month ago. You remember?"_

Naruto's eyes widened and he gave Sasuke a hard look. "Yeah, I remember."

" _He made another appearance today but this time he had two heavy hitters with him. Naru… these guys have been in the papers. Cops can't seem to make the charges stick."_ A long silence came from the other end and Naruto hoped Shika couldn't hear the sound of his heartbeat pounding through the line. " _I don't have much time to talk, borrowed phone and all, but these guys are big time. They're wanted on several charges."_

Naruto swallowed. "What sort of charges?"

" _Murder and racketeering."_

"Shika-"

" _Naru, these guys are hitmen. Their pictures were in last Sunday's paper and today they were both in the back seat of the Uchiha's ride. I didn't get to see whether they headed north or south once they rounded the corner, but Naru, these guys… they're contract killers."_

All the air left Naruto's lungs. The night had just gone from bad to worse and he had to fight to keep himself calm. "When… uh, what time? I mean, what time did you see them?"

" _A little less than three hours ago. I wanted to call sooner but apparently New Yorker's aren't all that keen on letting a street hood use their telephone. And I didn't wanna risk showing up at The Palace. I'm sorry I don't have more time, but if you check last week's paper, you'll get a better description than I could ever give you."_

"You don't have to be sorry. You did the right thing. Thanks, man, I'm just…" Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and ran a hand through his hair.

" _Yeah. I'm scared too."_

Naruto opened his eyes and stared straight into Sasuke's deep black ones. "Thanks, I owe you one."

" _You don't owe me shit. Just be careful. And Naru?"_

"Yeah?"

" _If you need anything. Anything at all. We're here for you."_

"Thanks, Shika."

Naruto heard the line click and he hung up the phone. The worry in his friend's voice mimicked the sinking feeling in his stomach. Hitmen. Obito had hired professional hitmen.

He turned and faced Sasuke, who was already staring at him, waiting for an explanation.

"Tell me." Sasuke's voice was hard, reminding him that the man in front of him was more than familiar with being in the path of danger and the knowledge brought Naruto no comfort at all.

"Shika's my contact from the docks. Near three hours ago, he spotted Obito down on Pell."

"The opium dens."

"Yeah." Naruto took out two cigarettes and lit them both. "Only this time," He said around the two cigs clenched in his teeth, "there were two men in the car with him." He handed one of the smokes to Sasuke. "Shika said they're well known contract killers. He recognized them from last week's Sunday paper. Both men are wanted for murder."

Sasuke took a long drag and considered Naruto's words. He knew there would be no sense in asking Naruto if his friend was positive, he could read the answer on the blond's face.

"I want to close the club."

Sasuke let out a breath and looked down thoughtfully at the cig in his hand. "You know I can't."

"I know." Frustration and anxiety filled Naruto. He tugged again on his smoke and let it out in a huff. "C'mon. There might be a copy of Sunday's paper at the front desk. I wanna get a look at the guys Shika spotted," He said and then crushed his cigarette into the ashtray sitting on the desk.

"You have a look and then meet me at the bar. I want to talk to Tenten." Sasuke moved past him and headed for the door but Naruto reached out and took hold of his arm, spinning him around.

"I don't want you leaving my sight."

"I'll be with Tenten and you won't be gone five minutes." Sasuke threw the blond an irritated glare and pulled free of Naruto's grasp.

"Sasuke."

But the Uchiha was already at the door, reaching for the lock.

Naruto stepped up to him and pushed his hand away. "Goddamn stubborn Uchiha. Fine. I'll take you to Tenten and then head over to the lobby."

Sasuke moved back, letting Naruto open the door. His hands went to his tie and pulled it snug, before taking hold of his vest and straightening out where it had been bunched up and pulled.

After a quick scan out the door, Naruto looked back at Sasuke and rolled his eyes. "You look fine."

The gangster looked at up him and raised a confident brow. Naruto let out a short laugh and shook his head but Sasuke only walked past him, not acknowledging the blond's reaction.

Once they reached Tenten, Naruto gave Sasuke a stern look. "Five minutes." Ignoring the smug look on Sasuke's face, Naruto left and went to the entrance stairs. Every instinct he had was screaming at him to do something, anything that would put an end to this night and keep Sasuke out of danger. Making his way up the stairs his eyes darted around at every man and woman, each waitress and band member; all laughing and carrying on with no idea of the danger they were all in should Naruto's worst fears come to fruition.

"Genma." Naruto walked over to the railing where the brooding older man was standing and chewing on his usual toothpick. _Trying to quit smoking,_ he had told the blond a few weeks back and Naruto smiled somewhat at the man's determination.

"We might have a couple of contract men in the club tonight," Naruto said in a low voice.

Genma bit down on his toothpick and narrowed his eyes. "What am I looking for?"

"I'm on my way to get a description. Right now all I have is two possible hitmen. I'll be back in five. Until then, I want your full attention on Sasuke." He jerked his head toward the bar and both men looked down and spotted the Uchiha talking with Tenten. "If he so much as lights a cigarette, you come get me." Genma nodded. "I'll be at the front desk getting those descriptions," Naruto added.

"See you in five." Genma said and with that Naruto walked out of the club and into the hotel lobby.

Already several guests looking to stay the night were crowding the front desk as Naruto entered the lobby. Juugo caught Naruto's eyes and hurried over to him, leaving his post near the main entrance.

"Where's Sasuke?"

"He's with Tenten at the bar. I need to check out something in last week's paper. Do you know if we keep them around?"

Juugo paused a moment and Naruto readied himself for a scolding for leaving Sasuke's side, but instead the large ginger walked past him and went behind the far end of the check-in desk. Only the top of the man's bright red hair was visible as he crouched down and sifted through whatever was back behind the desk.

A few seconds later, Juugo popped up, holding several newspapers in his hands. He looked directly at Naruto and waited.

"Oh, uh Sunday's… please," he said and the ginger immediately riffled through the stack in his hands, found the one he wanted, and left the rest on the counter.

He handed the paper to Naruto and the blonde jerked his chin for Juugo to follow him over toward the lobby doors.

"I gotta tip," Naruto said as he unfolded the paper and glanced at the front page headlines. "Two hitmen were spotted in town and we think they might be headed here tonight."

Juugo moved in closer and both men stared at the side by side mugshots on the front page of the Sunday morning paper.

 _New York's District Attorney botched charges against two well-known hitmen from Chicago on Friday. Known only as Hidan (pictured on the left) and Zetsu (pictured on the right), both men were picked up early last week near a crime scene in Chinatown._

The article went on but Naruto wasn't interested. He looked at the two faces grinning back at him in black and white. Their vacant eyes and smiles sent a chill down Naruto's back. He turned to Juugo and the redhead looked up. "I need to show this to everyone. You got the door?"

" _Naruto_."

Both men turned around at the voice and Juugo's hand immediately went for his piece tucked away inside his jacket.

Konan was walking towards them and Naruto held up his hand to Juugo, signaling him to not draw his gun.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto kept his voice low but made no move to pull her aside or ask Juugo to leave. "It's too risky for you to be here tonight and I don't have time to talk. I have to get back to club."

Konan looked up at Juugo and then back at Naruto. "I know and I'm sorry but this couldn't wait."

* * *

Sasuke lit his cigarette and watched Genma watching him from the entrance balcony. Naruto it seemed had remembered to carefully instruct the doorman on his new duties. Blowing out his smoke, he thought about the blond's current protective mode and the way Naruto had practically glared at the grabby women as the two of them made their way through the club and almost smirked at the blond's overzealous actions.

Thinking back to the morning and their time in his suite, Naruto had been just as voracious in bed as during their shower after. For as much as Sasuke had wanted to lay claim to the blond, it seemed Naruto was just as frantic to let him. A strange satisfaction filled him at the thought of having Naruto to himself. Wanting someone the way he wanted the former street hood was a new feeling and it surprised him at how easily he slipped into the new emotion. Maybe it had something to do with Naruto's high morals and steadfast heart. After all, the blond wasn't the type to stray as long as the two shared a bed and when it came to lying, Naruto had no skill. The thought made the gangster feel both confident and a bit apprehensive. A soft scowl formed on Sasuke's brow when his mind drifted to the not so far off day in October, when he'd be forced to say goodbye.

"Heads up, Sasuke." Tenten tilted her head to the side just enough for Sasuke to hear her but no more than might take her eyes away from the nightclub floor. "Looks like a couple of fellas are getting goofy over a dame." Sitting up more straight, Tenten uncrossed her legs and her body tensed. "Everyone's covering the club due to our special guests so I need you to get behind the bar until I can settle this. Naruto should be back any moment."

Beyond the two first tables in front of them where people were zigzagging to and fro, two men were arguing. Sasuke couldn't hear them over the band but one look at them and it was clear the two men were moments away from exchanging blows.

"Sasuke. Please." He turned and found Tenten now looking down at him.

Moving back behind the bar, he watched his former waitress, slip off her high heels and hop off the counter. Taking another long drag off his cigarette, a small gleam came to Sasuke's eyes as he locked his sights on the petite brunette making her way across the floor of his club.

* * *

Gaara didn't mind the monotony of his post. With everything that was happening, he was pretty sure Naruto was already pitching a fit over Madara showing up as well, and Gaara had no desire to be in the middle of all that. With the way his best friend had been practically clinging to Sasuke, it wasn't hard to assume the blond had already taken an overprotective approach to things. At least this way, Gaara could hang back and watch over the Hyuga and Madara without needing to also keep an eye on Sasuke or worry about rounds. He also hadn't missed the way Naruto and Sasuke had looked distinctly more comfortable with each other than they had before. Their casual avoidance of one another over the past few weeks and even their behavior from this morning was now completely absent when the two had visited the VIP, making Gaara think back to Tenten's words. _Was it serious between Sasuke and Naruto?_

Sasuke's uncle and cousin on his left and the Hyuga on his right. Gaara's eyes shifted slightly and settled on Hinata. None of the men had batted an eye at the closeness of the young Uchiha and his new blond bodyguard but their arrival had made its impression nonetheless. If Gaara knew anything about Sasuke, it was that the arrogant bastard didn't give a shit what anybody thought of him. So why put on such a show? Gaara's eyes tracked the way Hinata leaned into Neji, laughing and smiling before pouring the mob boss another sake. Of course, there was no way to know for sure, he thought, as he watched Hinata's smile falter, but maybe his best friend and the young gangster were in fact beginning to get serious.

All of a sudden a loud crash came from the club floor below and Gaara's hand went for his piece. Neji's guards and Madara left their tables and immediately rushed to the railing. Not knowing if the commotion was meant as a distraction, Gaara held to his position and kept everyone on the balcony in his sights.

* * *

"...and all three showed up at the Brownsville warehouse."

"We know."

Konan gave Naruto a confused look.

"Well not the warehouse part but Shika spotted them with Obito over on Pell," Naruto said keeping his voice low.

"But Naru, I followed Madara here!"

"Yeah, he's here. Got him up in our VIP section."

She gaped at the blond and he handed her the newspaper he was holding. Konan glanced at the front page.

"These are the guys Zabuza told me about," Konan said as she stared at the photos. "I would have called but I was nearby and figured you might not be reachable by phone given the club is in full swing."

"Yeah, I got my hands full alright. It's already been a crazy night and it's nowhere near closing time. I appreciate you coming, Konan and I wish I had the time to get all the details from you but I really need to get back." Naruto reached out and Konan handed him back the paper. "If there's anything else, Juugo can help you out. I'll get in touch with you tomorrow. I think we need to speed up our plans. Time's running out."

Konan held his eyes. "I agree."

Naruto gave her a small smile. His guts were turning with worry at being away from Sasuke so long.

"Be careful, Naru." Her amber eyes shone soft. "These aren't a couple of Manhattan thugs. They get paid a lot of money to do what they do."

Naruto stared at her for a moment and then nodded. "I'll get a hold of you tomorrow," he said and made to return to the club. "Hey." He called to her, turning back around. "Thank you. For the heads up and for coming here." He gave her a warm smile and then quickly left to find Sasuke.

* * *

"Obito, I'll be just a moment." Madara said over his shoulder and turned toward the staircase.

"Better to wait here and away from any potential danger." Gaara spoke up as he watched Madara straighten his coat and move away from the tables.

"I'll do what I want, boy," Madara shot back without so much as a glance Gaara's way, and then headed down to the level below.

Gaara watched him leave and then turned his attention to Obito and the remaining Hyuga. He had known it wasn't possible to keep them all sequestered in VIP. Sooner or later one if not all of them were bound to end up wondering the club. Gaara just had to hope the rest of the crew, and Naruto had things covered downstairs.

* * *

Watching Tenten take down one then the other troublemaker had been more than enjoyable for Sasuke. No one ever expected a five foot nothing woman to pack such a powerful punch. When she had approached the two men to ask them to please leave the club, the one gripping his date by her forearm, made the mistake of yelling at her to mind her own business right before trying to shove Tenten away.

It was still too loud to hear the man's words but Sasuke had read his lips easily enough. As soon as he moved to push Tenten, she grabbed his wrist with her left and gave him a solid punch to his throat with her right. The man let go of his date and screamed in pain. The other guy went to grab the dame they had been arguing over but Tenten was quicker. Still holding the other guy's wrist, she pulled him hard towards her and then kicked him square in the groin, sending him backwards, screaming even louder, and straight into the other guy.

Both men crashed into a nearby table and the band went quiet. Before either man could comprehend what the hell happened, Sai and Sas appeared, grabbing both.

The patrons all began straining to see what was going on and a few pointed at the little brunette in the middle of the whole mess. Thankfully, once the two troublemakers were under control, the guests settled down and no one panicked over all the commotion.

"Take 'em upstairs and have Juugo throw 'em out," Tenten told them. "Then hurry back to your posts."

Sasori yanked up the guy in his grip and jerked his head at Sai to grab the other guy and follow him.

Tenten signaled to the band and the music went on. Slowly, people began to find their way back to the dance floor, while some stayed laughing and joking over the fact that the two men had been taken out by a tiny woman.

Sasuke let himself smirk at the scene as he smoked his cigarette. Satisfied with how it played out, he quickly looked under the bar for an ashtray and after a moment, came back up and placed it on the counter just in time to see Madara walk by... not even noticing Sasuke.

* * *

"What happened?" Naruto asked Sasori as he ran into him and Sai coming out of the club entrance.

"Just showin' a pair o'assholes the door. Fightin' over a dame, nothing too crazy," Sasori answered.

"Fuck you!" One of the assholes shouted.

Quick as a flash, Sai shot a fist into the guy's side and the man's knees buckled. Without uttering a word, Sas held him up and raised an approving brow at Sai.

"Where's Sasuke?" Naruto looked past them and through the entrance door.

"I didn't see him. I gotta get these two outta here, you go and check on him."

"Hang on." Naruto opened the newspaper in his hand, then held it up to Sasori. "Take a look at this."

The redhead eyed the front headline and the guy he was detaining strained to get a look. "Mind yer own fuckin' business." Sasori growled and squeezed his neck harder, twisting it away from the paper. After a quick glance, Sas looked back up at Naruto, this time with no humor in his eyes. "Sai."

The pale skinned guard stepped forward and skimmed the page. He then raised his head and Naruto saw the new information register in his eyes.

"Keep your eyes open," Naruto said to them and then pushed past them and toward Genma at the balcony railing.

* * *

As Madara walked by, Sasuke snuffed out his cigarette and slowly came out from behind the bar. His uncle was paying close attention to Tenten and all the commotion. Sasuke could see her smoothing things over with the guests and knew she would instruct the staff and comp his customers without a problem.

The Uchiha's eyes narrowed at the way Madara moved around the tables, trying to slip by unnoticed. Slowly Sasuke stepped forward.

"Sass-suke!"

The dark-haired mobster turned to his left and came face to face with a very intoxicated Hyuga Neji and his companion, Hinata. His two bodyguards were standing a few feet behind them and Sasuke looked up to see the third watching from the balcony.

"We are having a marvelous time. Tell him, Hinata." Neji gestured at her and she offered up a smile and a small giggle.

"Sasuke, everything has been just wonderful this evening. The food, the sake," she said and added a mischievous grin toward the Hyuga, who waved her off with an eyeroll.

"Wait with Sass-suke, Hina. I see someone I must say 'ello to." Neji slurred and started away from her. Hinata opened her mouth to object but the gangster was already moving through the crowd. She motioned for his two bodyguards follow him and leave her with the Uchiha.

Just as Sasuke saw the Hyuga walk away, he shifted his attention to the back of the club just in time to see Madara disappear through the stage door.

"My apologies, Sasuke-san. It's been quite some time since Neji has been able to unwind." She turned more fully toward him and lowered her chin.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourselves." Sasuke tried not to glare at Naruto's childhood friend but he felt his irritation peak all the same. He didn't have time to listen to the woman prattle on. What he needed, was to go after Madara and find out what his uncle was up to.

Without breaking eye contact, Hinata reached into her purple and black beaded evening bag and pulled out a silver cigarette case. She offered one to Sasuke but he only stared back.

A dark gleam came to her silver eyes as she lit her cigarette and blew the smoke out slow. "I'm glad we have a moment to speak with each other."

"Unfortunately, I don't have a moment. I was on my way to attend to business matters. I'm sure you understand that I don't mean to be rude -"

"Yes you do," Hinata cut in. "I know how you feel about me and why, but like you, I don't give a shit what people think of me either." She took a pull from her smoke and Sasuke's eyes hardened at her. "I wanted to share with you some information I have concerning your uncle." Hinata kept her voice low but knew her words were received by the instant scowl that appeared on Sasuke's brow.

Instantly his suspicion was up. First she had given Naruto an ominous warning and now she was offering up information about Madara. Whatever game the woman was trying to pull, Sasuke wasn't interested. "What makes you think I would be interested in anything you have to say?"

Hinata let out a laugh but kept her eyes on the Uchiha. "Only God knows what Naruto sees in an asshole like you."

Anger swelled up inside Sasuke but before he could speak, Hinata went on.

"Or why he cares about that little pink princess you hired to sing here." She blew out another long drag. "But if either of you are interested in keeping Madara away from her and off your backs, then yes, I'd say you should definitely be interested in the information I have."

Sasuke held his tongue. He couldn't deny he was intrigued but he was also impatient to go after Madara. Trying to keep his frustration from showing, he clenched his jaw, stared back at her and said nothing.

"That's what thought," she said smugly and then reached to grab the ashtray that was on the counter and bring it closer.

Capitalizing on the moment, Sasuke glanced around the club. Immediately his eyes locked on the sight of Naruto at the base of the entrance stairs. A darkness like he had never felt, washed through him as he saw who the blond was now talking to.

* * *

Genma had done exactly what Naruto had asked of him and pointed out Sasuke's whereabouts to the blond. As soon as he spotted Sasuke behind the bar, a wave of relief went through him.

He showed Genma the paper and the doorman agreed to be on the lookout for the two new players. With a quick thanks, he then rushed down the stairs too distracted to notice a familiar man walking directly toward him.

"Naruto." A deep voice snapped him back to his immediate surroundings and found himself looking straight into Hyuga Neji's glazed eyes.

 _Shit._

"Neji. Hello again. I'm sorry, but I need to tend to the club, I hope you'll underst -"

"Nonsense." Neji stepped in closer and Naruto stiffened. "I was promised that Sasuke's men would be forthcoming should I wish you see your weapon." Neji's eyes slowly lowered.

Naruto's stomach turned as Hyuga's eyes moved over every inch of his body. When the mob boss licked his lips, Naruto wished he could just shove his way past him and the alliance be damned. He looked again to the bar and saw Sasuke now staring back at him. The rage in the Uchiha's eyes was unmistakable. To make matters worse, Naruto saw who Sasuke was now standing next to.

 _Shit._

"Aren't you going to show me what you have, Naruto-kun?"

The blond brought his attention back to Neji just as the Hyuga lifted his eyes. Instantly, a warm flush went to his cheeks. Not wanting this whole ordeal keep him from Sasuke any longer than necessary, Naruto's hands went to the buttons on his jacket and he began undoing them.

Neji dropped his gaze and Naruto held his breath. _Will this night ever end?_ Doing his best to hold down his lunch, Naruto opened his jacket.

* * *

"Your uncle," Hinata continued after ashing her cigarette, "has acquired a taste for young girls." She turned her accusing eyes up at Sasuke.

"I'm fully aware of Madara's tastes. I however, don't share them," he growled, completely angered at her insinuation that somehow their relation made him equally reprehensible.

"You've known? If that's true, then Naruto clearly doesn't know what an asshole you really are," She spat.

Again, Sasuke opened his mouth to finally put an end to this ridiculous conversation but once more, Hinata spoke first.

"How the fuck could you live with yourself knowing your uncle has been cavorting with girls as old as twelve and as young as ten?" Hinata did her best to keep her voice low but Sasuke had caught every word.

His eyes widened fractionally at the former prostitute. " _Uso-tsuki..."_ he breathed out just loud enough for Hinata to hear, and watched her silver eyes turn an icy grey.

"I see I now have your attention, Uchiha." She took a long drag of her smoke and leaned against the bar. "The girls he's taken have come from both mine and Orochimaru's brothel." She lifted her chin and took a moment before continuing. "And... a few weeks ago, I learned that several of the girls he's taken from Orochimaru's have gone missing." She swallowed hard after her words and took another quick tug on her smoke.

"He could have let them go," Sasuke finally said and almost winced at the shocked tone of his voice. "How do you know-"

"Their bodies were found," Hinata cut in.

Though her eyes gave nothing away, Sasuke could hear the tremor in her voice and it wasn't hard for him to piece together why these things frightened her.

"Not _all_ of the missing were found, but several were discovered. I wasn't supposed to know, of course. Neji received a report from one of his men and I just happened to overhear the two of them talking." She snuffed out her smoke and immediately took out another. This time, Sasuke pulled out his lighter and held it up for her. She brought her eyes up to his and then slowly leaned in and lit her smoke. "Thank you," She said quietly. "I have no way of knowing for sure, but I also think this is part of the leverage Neji has over Madara." Hinata let out another deep drag and waited.

"If this is true-"

"It is."

The Uchiha stared back at the woman, _almost_ admiring her audacity to challenge him. "Why tell me? What do you get out of playing both sides?"

A wry smile formed on her blood red lips. "Me? Not a thing." She stuffed her cigarette case back into her bag and regarded Sasuke thoughtfully. "You see, Naruto's already made his choice, so it's not like I'd be earning any points by helping you." Hinata laughed at the subtle brow lift Sasuke gave her. "Yes, Uchiha, you have no reason to be jealous of little ol' me. When last he and I spoke, Naruto was very clear on where our _friendship_ stands. But... " Her grin widened. "I wonder if he made the right choice." Hinata took one last puff and crushed out the cigarette. She turned her face up proudly at Sasuke. "I wonder what Naruto will say when he finds out you knew this whole time and did nothing." Still smiling, she flashed her lashes at the gangster, then turned and walked away.

Sasuke watched her start up the VIP stairs with smug confidence. He had to hand it to the woman. She definitely wasn't the weak, pathetic tramp he had originally assumed and the little game she had just thrown his way wasn't missed by him.

Clearing his head, Sasuke turned and saw Naruto still cornered by Neji. As much as he wanted to go over and rip the Hyuga to shreds, dealing with one Hyuga was enough for now.

 _Naruto's already made his choice._ His eyes narrowed at the two men and he noted his lover's face. The frustration and anger was easy to read but the underlying disgust was what made him finally make up his mind. Without wanting to waste another second, Sasuke took off to find Madara.

* * *

Not able to bring himself to again look over at Sasuke, Naruto held open his jacket. Neji brought his gaze down and took another step closer him, causing Naruto to take a half-step back.

He could almost _feel_ Neji's eyes, moving down his body, slowly taking in his form. When Neji licked his bottom lip, Naruto had to restrain himself from punching the powerful clan boss in the face.

"As you can see, I'm only strapping one gun," Naruto said tersely. He did his best not to glare at the Hyuga but as Neji raised his eyes, it was clear the gangster was enjoying how uncomfortable he was making the blond.

"I've been long waiting and hoping you would take up my invitation to come visit Hinata and myself." Neji smiled warmly as he narrowed his glazed-over eyes at Naruto. "I'm sure Sasuke would approve. After all, we'll all be working together soon and it would be a shame if we didn't become more acquainted with one another. Don't you agree, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto held Neji's stare for a moment before buttoning up his jacket. This time the drunk Hyuga reached out and gently touched Naruto's hand, trying to slow his work. Naruto pulled away from his touch and clenched both his hands into fists, causing Neji's guards to step forward in anticipation. Neji held up his hand to them and they both relaxed and again stepped back.

"I doubt getting acquainted is all you had in mind." Naruto knew the Hyuga was acting out of his drunkenness but it still didn't excuse his actions. "Neji, please." Naruto gave the Hyuga a stern look. "Do you really want to find out if Sasuke would approve? Would you risk the alliance and upcoming deal?"

A scowl formed on the Hyuga's brow. "You think you're too good for me."

"What I think," Naruto interrupted, "is that you've had too much to drink." Fighting his desire to get as far away from Neji as he could, Naruto instead leaned in. "I know it's no secret about Sasuke and I. I'm sure you've heard the rumors."

Neji's eyes cleared for a moment as he took in Naruto's words.

"Then you must know what a man like Sasuke would do if you or anyone tried to come between him and his interests." He raised himself up and did his best to pull back the glare in his eyes. "I think Sasuke would have the same reaction you would if anyone tried to come between you and Lady Hinata."

The mobster's eyes went cold and he lifted his chin. "I'd cut their fucking throat."

"My point exactly." Naruto reached down and again buttoned his jacket. He figured he'd hold back from informing the drunk man that if he was so protective of Hinata, what the hell was he doing hitting on someone else and with her only a few feet away.

"Then you and the Uchiha… are you...?"

Naruto considered the question. He doubted Neji would be so bold with his words had he been sober but given Naruto was more interested in keeping things from escalating than not, he thought for a moment, trying to decide on the right words. "We are what you and Hinata are."

A confused crease came to Neji's eyes.

"Something that doesn't rely on anyone else's definition." Naruto wasn't sure if his answer would be accepted but it was the only one he was willing to give.

"What a shame," Neji said and wobbled. Without thinking Naruto reached out and gently took hold of his arm to steady him. Neji looked up and gave him a relinquished grin. "Perhaps I have had a bit too much to drink," he said and Naruto released his arm. "I'll let you go join your Uchiha, then."

Relief went through Naruto and he bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Neji-sama."

"Tch." Neji waved his hand and gave the blond a smug look. "Go, leave."

Naruto didn't bother with the Hyuga's two guards. He simply moved around them with ease and quickly worked his way through the crowd, trying to get to the bar. Scanning the area, panic immediately gripped him. Sasuke was nowhere in sight.

* * *

With Hinata's revelation still fresh in his mind, Sasuke knew exactly where he would find Madara. When he reached the dressing room door, he waved the staff away and leaned in, listening at the door.

" _Do you realize the embarrassment you brought me with your little stunt?"_

Sasuke could hear his uncle's raised voice through the door.

" _It took me months to get those men to Brooklyn! When Hinata came back and told me you and that fucking redheaded boy told her you had no intention of leaving with her, I had to break my word!"_

Sasuke heard a loud slap and the sound of something hitting the floor. Not waiting, he opened the door and slammed it shut behind him. "That's enough."

Madara's head lifted up and he glowered at his nephew. "This is not your business, Sasuke! I have things to discuss with Sakura!"

Sakura was crouched on the floor, holding the side of her face. She didn't dare bring her eyes up and instead turned her head away.

"No uncle, that is where you are mistaken. This _is_ my business. She is my employee and this is _my_ club." Sasuke kept his voice hard and even. He stepped up to Sakura and held out his hand. "Sakura."

She finally looked up at him and blinked in surprise. Then before another word could be said, she took his hand and he helped her up off the floor.

"Goddammit Sasuke, you have gone too far!" Madara was enraged. He moved in to grab for Sakura but Sasuke still had a hold of her and effortlessly swung her around and behind him before letting her go. He turned to face his uncle just as Madara moved to try and grab at her again. From out of nowhere, Sasuke pulled out a balisong and fluidly whipped it open, before bringing it up and across his uncle's chest, expertly slicing his tie clean off. Stunned, Madara froze and Sasuke fanned his blade and brought it back to rest, keeping it pointed at his uncle.

"Leave Sakura. _Now_." Sasuke didn't turn around. He heard her hurry away and the sound of the door opening and again slamming shut.

"Of course the butterfly knife is a pathetic substitute for a katana but I find it's much easier to conceal." Sasuke didn't bother to grin at his uncle. He let his rage fill the blackness of his eyes as he stared disgusted at the man in front of him.

"Boy, you have gone too far. Do you think I will let you get away with this?" Madara growled at Sasuke. "You come between me and my property and then dare pull a knife on me! Your club is finished! I'll have the commissioner here tomorrow and he will shut this place down!"

"You would do well to calm yourself, uncle." With a flick of his wrist, Sasuke fanned and closed his blade and placed it in his pocket. "And there will be no closing of the club. In fact, I think your days of concerning yourself with the goings on at The Palace have come to an end."

* * *

Naruto reached the bar and spun around. He spotted Tenten walking toward him and rushed to meet her. "Where the hell is Sasuke?"

"Shit. I told him to wait for you behind the bar while I took care of those two assholes." Tenten and Naruto began looking around until suddenly they both stopped and looked at each other. Their eyes widened and together they turned their eyes up to where Genma was already watching them both. He signaled to the stage door and Naruto nodded his thanks.

"Here." He handed Tenten the newspaper. "Obito hired the two on the front page. I already showed the crew. Make sure Gaara sees it. I'm going after Sasuke." Not waiting for her reply, Naruto took off. Seconds later, he blasted through the stage door and right into Sakura.

"Ugh!"

"Sakura!" Naruto caught her before she fell to the ground and immediately saw the redness and fear plastered across her face. "What's happened? Sakura what's going on? Where's Sasuke?"

"Sasuke's in the dressing room with Madara. He tried to… but Sasuke stopped him." She looked back over her shoulder and then again at Naruto. "I'm afraid for him, Naruto. He can't win against Madara, no one can!"

"It'll be okay." He straightened her up and took her gently by the shoulders. "Use the kitchen and take the elevator to the lobby. Get yourself cleaned up and don't worry about the rest." He gave her a soft smile. "I'll send Tenten to escort you back once everything is taken care of."

She nodded at him and Naruto watched her head to the kitchen. Then he turned and made his way to the dressing room door.

* * *

"You have no proof."

"Uncle, you should know by now I have never been one to make idle threats." Sasuke stuffed his hands into his pockets. "As long as you stayed out of my business, I was fine with ignoring your repugnant proclivities, but now you're harassing my staff, which in turn, costs me money."

"You insolent spoiled -"

"Careful, Madara. I doubt you would want my father or the council to hear of this." Sasuke's eyes burned with hate as he stared at the elder Uchiha. "You are to leave Sakura alone. _And_ , If you continue to try and intervene with how I run my club or try to shut it down, I will have no choice but to take the evidence I have the missing girls to the council and then to the newspapers."

Madara glared at his nephew. "You don't want to play this game with me, Sasuke. You will lose."

Sasuke let out a sigh. "Very little amuses me, uncle. This is no game."

A smug grin rose on Madara's face. "Enjoy this moment, Sasuke."

Just then the dressing room door opened and Naruto came forward. He took in the sight of the two men and noticed Sasuke's easy posture. From what little he overheard in the hallway, Naruto knew the young gangster had his uncle over a barrel but doubted the crafty elder would give up so easily.

Sasuke looked over at Naruto but didn't address him.

Madara let out a low laugh and grinned at the blond. "Both of you, enjoy this moment. I can guarantee you'll not get another."

"I think you should find your way back to your table, uncle."

With a sly grin, Madara undid what was left of his tie and threw it to the floor. He walked around Sasuke and past Naruto. "I'll leave you to your whore," he said and laughed as he left the dressing room.

Furious, Sasuke whipped around and stormed after him but Naruto grabbed him. "Don't Sasuke. Let him go. You know he's only trying to bait you."

"Goddamn him." Sasuke growled.

Naruto let go of his arm and slammed the door shut. "Just what the hell were you thinking running off alone! Goddammit, Sasuke! I can't protect you if you keep running off!"

"You looked busy with Neji and I didn't feel like waiting." Sasuke turned to face Naruto. His eyes still angry over Madara's insult. "Did you enjoy his company?"

"You know I didn't, asshole. The man is repulsive. Still wanna offer me up to the Hyuga?" Naruto spat out and then turned to reach for the door.

This time Sasuke grabbed the blond and shoved him hard against it. "Don't make jokes, Naruto. I had to choose between joining in on your little tryst or following Madara. I did what I-"

With both hands, Naruto reached out and yanked Sasuke to him, kissing him with bruising force. Immediately he felt the Uchiha respond and use his body to press him harder against the door as they both thrust their tongues into each other's mouth, lapping at the taste of one another. Eager hands and desperate grinds from both men became almost frenzied until Naruto forced himself to slow down, causing Sasuke to ease up as well.

Finally breaking the kiss, Naruto gently pushed Sasuke back. "Next time come get me and we'll both go after Madara." He brought his hand up to Sasuke's cheek and caressed his reddened lips with the pad of his thumb. "We need to get back to the club and I need a stiff drink." Naruto let out a soft chuckle and Sasuke smirked back.

Once they were back at the bar, Naruto told Tenten to find Sakura and take her back to the dressing room.

"If she decides to go on tonight, stay with her and make sure she's safe while she gets ready and then escort her to the stage." Naruto expected Tenten to ask why all the fuss, but the brunette only nodded and then left to the lobby.

As soon as she left, Naruto felt a nudge against his shoulder. Sasuke was holding out a booze-filled glass to him. "How did you -?"

"I keep a small bottle hidden behind the bar." The Uchiha didn't smile but the gleam in his eye was unmistakable and Naruto threw him a half grin.

Sasuke raised the whiskey in front of him and Naruto followed suit. "To an uneventful night," he toasted and they both swallowed down the liquor.

Their eyes held for a moment. The burn from the whiskey only added to the fire now coursing through Sasuke. Between the hitmen, confronting his uncle and couple of heated moments with Naruto, Sasuke was growing frustrated. Adrenaline was a heady emotion when mixed with desire and it would be a good three hours before the two of them could be alone. As the images of what he and the blond would be doing four hours from now played in his mind, he stared at Naruto and licked his bottom lip, picking up the leftover alcohol.

Naruto's eyes darkened at the movement. "There's time," he said, letting the huskiness of his voice come through. He handed back the glass and gave Sasuke a dark smile before turning his attention back to the club.

Sasuke set the glasses aside, wondering whether or not there was time. And if the time they did have would ever be enough.

A deep long saxophone played out the intro to Sakura's last song of the evening. " _What can I dooo… to hollld your haaand… what can I saaay… to make youu understaaand..."_

Sakura's voice seemed to sweeten the mood of all the club guests. Couples were slow-dancing and whispering into each other's ears. A few had taken to dark corners to sneak a kiss or two and Naruto bet he'd find them at the front desk soon enough. He was glad Sakura decided to do the show and didn't miss the pleased look on Sasuke's face when she took the stage smiling and looking vibrant.

"Sasuke."

Naruto turned around and saw Hinata and Neji approach.

"Thank you again for the lovely evening but we must be going now." Hinata gave a thin smile and gently tugged her arm that was around Neji's. "Everything was exceptional. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves."

"My pleasure. Please know you are welcomed back anytime at The Palace." Sasuke nodded to the both.

Neji said nothing but graciously returned the gesture and then walked past, completely ignoring Naruto who was but a few feet away. As the Hyuga's crew left with him, Hinata darted her eyes to Naruto. She gave the blond a small smile and then was gone.

" _... oh oh how would it feel to beee in your aaarms… how would it be, how would it be, to feel your many charms..."_

Naruto brought his eyes forward to where Sakura was singing on stage and smiled. He was about to comment to Sasuke how much he liked the song she was singing when Madara and Obito passed in front of him and headed toward the club's only exit. He glanced up and saw Gaara looking down from the VIP and then turned back to see Tenten a short distance behind the two Uchiha's as they headed up the entrance staircase.

He then faced Sasuke and the gangster gave him a satisfied look. Naruto let out a short laugh and shook his head. There were still few tables that had yet to clear out but it looked as though the night was finally coming to an end.

Just then a round of applause filled the club as Sakura finished her song. " _Thank you ladies and gentlemen for letting me entertain you this evening. The night has finally come to an end and as always here at The Tokyo Palace, we wish you a safe return home and to see you all again soon. Goodnight!"_

Another round of applause and then slowly the club began to empty and the house lights turned on. Waitresses hurried after customers who forgot a shawl or dinner jacket and the kitchen staff came rushing out, pushing their empty carts out in front of them.

A moment later, Gaara came down the VIP stairs and up to where Sasuke and Naruto were seated at the bar. "Ten showed me the paper." He looked from one to the other and waited.

Sasuke reached under the bar and brought out his cigarettes. He offered one to Gaara and then to Naruto before taking one for himself. "We have a lot to go over tomorrow during prep. But it's been a long night. We'll leave it for then." He lit each one of their smokes and took a hard drag off his.

"Tomorrow then," Gaara took a pull of his cig. "See ya later, Naru." He added and then walked off and headed to the club entrance.

Naruto stood up from the bar stool and stretched. He raised his arms over his head and arched his back trying to pull at the soreness in his back. When he turned, he caught Sasuke watching him. He lowered his arms and took a hit off his smoke, holding the Uchiha's eyes to his. "I don't think you should stay in the suite tonight. Call me paranoid if you want but after the night we've had, I'm not ready to believe everyone showing up tonight was a coincidence."

"Then you can drive me back to Pierrepont," He said and took a step closer to Naruto. "And make sure I get home safe." The corner of his mouth lifted and Naruto had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from grabbing him and kissing him in front of the entire staff.

"Naruto!"

The blond spun around to see Tenten walking towards him.

"What a fucking night, huh?" She looked at one then the other and then gave Naruto a light slap on the back. "Juugo and I got things covered here, and Sai and Sas are gonna head back with Gaara and Sakura. Why don't you take Sasuke home before Capone shows up and decides he wants a table in our VIP."

Naruto let out a laugh and even Sasuke couldn't resist a smirk. "Sure thing, Ten. We'll see ya at prep tomorrow."

"Until then," she said and headed over to the tables to direct the kitchen staff.

Working off his dark blue tie, Sasuke pulled it free and then led the way out of the club. They passed Genma and Juugo as they walked through the lobby and then Naruto took the lead so he could hold the front door open for him. As usual, Sasuke's Mercedes was parked in front and when they got to the car door, Naruto held out his hand to Sasuke, who gave him a confused and slightly panicked look back.

"Settle down, Uchiha, I'm only asking for the keys, not your hand."

"Tch, _dobe._ " Sasuke rolled his eyes and Naruto laughed at the slight blush in Sasuke's cheeks. He handed him the keys and Naruto reached to open the passenger door.

"Good evening, Sassuke-kun."

Both men spun around to see a shockingly pale man with yellow eyes, standing on the sidewalk just a few feet away. Naruto stepped forward to put himself between the two men and quickly tugged open his jacket, to get to his gun.

"No need to be so anxious. I only came here to talk." A sly grin rose on the stranger's face.

"Orochimaru," Sasuke said and took a step closer. "This isn't a good time."

"Orochimaru?" Naruto had never laid eyes on the man and despite the way his heart took a sudden leap at the mention of his name, he held his breath and readied himself for anything.

"Pleased to meet you. You must be Naruto," Orochimaru said and his yellow eyes danced in delight. "I've heard so much about you."

* * *

 _To be continued..._

A/N: Cliffhanger! Edge play is fun ;) Haha, hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Things start heating up even more in next, so I do hope you'll all stick around. Blessings to you all. 3 Tandy.


	17. Chapter 17: Highs and lows

**Warning** : Ok, so here's the deal. I really don't want to give y'all a warning. I'll say yaoi like always, blah, blah, blah and that's all you get.

 **Author's note** : Why no warning? Cuz I want you to read this chapter not knowing what to expect. I want to see if I did my job (however badly it might be) and if I was able to bring you, Dear Reader, along for the ride. So please comment if you can. Also, I would like to say HELLO and HAAAY to all my twitter twats! Thanks for reading and keeping me laughing. I did end up adding a little something, like I said I would, in honor of World Poetry Day (that's the only spoiler y'all get) and I hope you like it! In relation to that, I want to make sure y'all know that the snippet of poetry I have included in this chapter IS COPYRIGHTED. Yes, I filled out the forms and paid the fees. I may not own Naruto but I do own all my original work. So just an fyi, the poem and its title are owned by me. One last thing… Has everyone watched the final episodes?! OMG episode 478. I squealed from beginning to end! I won't go into a long rant about why Sasuke would never love anyone other than Itachi or Naruto… I'll just let the entire manga and anime speak for itself.

But he totally never would. Okay, I'll stop.

I really hope you enjoy this chapter and ever thanks, Dear Reader, for sticking with this little fic that could. Love and blessings to you all.

 **Disclaimer** **:** Oh Kishi. You own Naruto and I do this all for free. With all my heart, thank you for episode 478. For me that was the end. Everything that came after can suck it. (Except for that scene with Sasuke blindfolded and in a straight jacket….mmmmm yummy)

 _ ***I dedicate this chapter to all my twitter twats. You know who you are and I luv y'all bunches. This chapter is for you.**_

**Last but most assuredly not least, my sincerest thanks to Kizu, whose thoughts & input mean the world to me. I wouldn't even be writing this fic had she not encouraged me. So if you enjoy this story even a little, please make sure to head over to one of her stories & give her some love. Love you oh so much, bae.

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Highs and lows**

The late night air stilled throughout the sleepy Brooklyn neighborhood as Naruto kept his eyes glued on the old man in front of him. He noted his black pinstriped suit and upon closer inspection marked the light lavender colored stripes. Even the man's scarf that flowed past his hips was a deep shade of purple. _What the hell is it with people and the color purple?_ Dismissing the weird attire of the man he now knew as Orochimaru, Naruto inched his hand closer to his gun.

Not about to give Orochimaru the satisfaction, Sasuke moved to take another step forward but Naruto held out his arm blocking him. Watching the way the old man's eyes narrowed at the protective gesture gave Naruto a moment's pause. The silence between them was heavy, and though Naruto could see his own breath on the air due to the late night chill, he suddenly realized Orochimaru's breath wasn't visible at all.

He tried to focus. Whatever intention the man had for approaching Sasuke on the sidewalk at three in the morning, was irrelevant to Naruto. There was no way he was letting him get any closer to Sasuke. "We can hear you just fine from where you are. You wanna talk? Go ahead."

The yellow-eyed man, let out a short scratchy laugh. "No wonder you've had your hands full with him, Sasuke-kun. How delightful."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, not missing the innuendo. "It's late, Orochimaru. If you're not going to get to the point -"

"Don't be fooled by my civility, Uchiha Sasuke. I will not tolerate your crude manners again." Though the man made no visible move, the air seemed to drop a few degrees at the hard grit of his words, making Naruto's whole body tense.

Without any way to alert Tenten or Juugo, Naruto knew if Orochimaru made a move, he'd have to face down the mob boss on his own. From what he could tell, the man hadn't come with any guards. _Alone at 3 am in another clan's turf._ Naruto steadied his breathing and tried not to think about how dangerous a man without fear could be.

Sasuke set his jaw and pushed Naruto's arm out the way. "And I won't have you test my patience. Don't forget where you are."

Just then, Naruto caught movement out of the corner of his eyes. First, Tenten on his left and then to the right, he caught the large ginger coming around the corner. Both had come from around the back of the hotel and were now flanking the old man. While the sight should have filled him with relief, the only emotion flowing fast through him was fear. What if the whole night was a setup for this? What if somewhere out in the shadows, Madara's hitmen were crouched and ready, waiting only for Orochimaru's signal? Naruto tried not to let panic grip him as he shifted slightly closer to Sasuke.

"Let's not fight, Sasuke. I would loath having to cut through each of you at such a late hour." Orochimaru let out a sigh. "I only came to talk."

Sasuke let out a huff. "What about?"

A dark smile grew slow across the man's ashen face. "You had quite a few visitors in your club this evening."

Sasuke said nothing.

"But not the two you were expecting." Again, Orochimaru's eyes lit up with humor and Naruto had to force himself to not show any surprise at his words.

With smug regard, Sasuke held the old snake's eyes to his own. "And who was I supposed to be expecting?" He asked and reached into his vest pocket for his cigarettes.

"The answer to your question is not far away."

Blowing out the smoke from his cigarette, Sasuke could feel his impatience rising. "I don't care for riddles or games, Orochimaru. I doubt you came all this way to test my sense of humor."

But crafty clan boss didn't rise to the bait. "You might say the answer is in the wind." He turned his attention back to Naruto. "And what man has the power to force the wind?"

Orochimaru's yellow eyes made Naruto uncomfortable and momentarily forgetting himself, he creased his brows at the man's riddle.

"I can see why you like him, Sasuke-kun," he said, his words thick with gravel. "So wonderfully easy to read."

Naruto shifted uneasily as he worked to pull back whatever his face was clearly showing. The old man's snake-like eyes made him want to shiver under their intense gaze. The look that was now piercing him was far from the Hyuga's lust-filled stare. No, he thought, as he watched the way Orochimaru was now drinking him in, his look was something infinitely darker and Naruto wanted nothing more than to get as far away from it and him as possible.

"If you'd like," Orochimaru continued, "I'd be happy to converse with you about the matter. In a more appropriate setting, of course," the old man said, not taking his eyes off Naruto. "Bring your delightful blond bodyguard with you and we can talk things over like civilized men." Orochimaru brought his gaze back to Sasuke. "Let's say, Sunday?"

"You came here in the middle of the night to request a meeting?" Careful not to let his anger rise, Sasuke kept his voice flat, not wanting to risk losing his chance at acquiring information from him. It was clear Orochimaru was intrigued by Naruto and that meant Sasori's plan was finally bearing fruit.

"My apologies. I'm sure it must have been a long night and you both are likely exhausted. But given the rumors I've heard regarding Naruto's stamina, I couldn't resist coming to see for myself."

Orochimaru again turned his attention to the blond and before Naruto could stop it, a heated flush rose in his cheeks.

"Yes," Orochimaru said as he slowly licked his bottom lip. "So deliciously easy to read."

"Why now?" Sasuke was growing annoyed over the way the dirty old man was playing with Naruto. He had known the bait would be tough to bear but enough was enough. "At our last meeting you made it clear you had no interest in cooperating."

"Make no mistake, Sasuke-kun, this isn't cooperation. Only an opportunity to move the wind." Orochimaru faced the young Uchiha and smiled. "But if you and your new boy agree to meet with me, maybe we could arrange a quid pro quo and see where the wind takes us."

Sasuke clenched his jaw. Referring to Naruto as his _boy_ would not earn the old snake any points. Feeling agitated at the late hour and Orochimaru's current roadblock between him and getting home, had Sasuke almost coming out of his skin. It had been a long fucking night and the last thing he wanted, was to spend what little time he and Naruto had left, talking to an abhorrent pervert on the side of the road at three o'clock in the morning. Still, as irritated as he was, he couldn't deny this was the opportunity he had been hoping for. Taking a slow pull from his smoke, he blew it out and then tossed the cigarette. Pushing both his hands into his pockets, he stared at Orochimaru and considered the offer. "I'll let you kn -"

"No, I'm afraid you'll have to give me your answer now. You see, it's late and tomorrow might not find me in a charitable mood."

The gleam in Orochimaru's eyes brightened and Sasuke had to hold himself back from turning down the offer out of pure spite. He knew he'd have to come clean with Naruto about using their companionship as bait, but he knew telling Naruto the truth wouldn't be anywhere near as vile as what the perverted old snake most likely had in mind for their meeting. "Sunday," he said flatly and then turned and went for his car. "Naruto."

In a split second, Naruto snapped out of his guarded stance and followed Sasuke. A look back was all he needed to catch Tenten and Juugo moving in closer. With the car door now open, the Uchiha held back and paused for moment to look back at Orochimaru.

The old gangster was still standing on the sidewalk, grinning. "Sunday," he said back to Sasuke and turned to walk down the darkened street. He didn't glance Tenten's way or even acknowledge her presence, but continued on until suddenly two Chevy's that had been parked across the street, roared to life and drove to him. Once the cars reached the old man, he turned; sending a satisfied look to Sasuke.

Just then, Sai and Sasori jumped down from separate fire escapes directly behind where Orochimaru's two cars had been parked, and not too far ahead from where Orochimaru was standing, Gaara exited the Chevrolet stationed across the street. With a tommy gun in hand, the redhead nodded at his boss and Sasuke in turn, raised a brow at Orochimaru.

"Let's go," Naruto finally said and the Uchiha climbed into his Mercedes. From the seat of his car, Sasuke watched Orochimaru's cars drive off. Naruto, still amped from the adrenaline, let out a deep breath and closed the car door.

"Well, fuck if this ain't the night that never ends," Tenten said and stepped closer to the Benz.

Sasuke rolled down his window. "This whole night, none of this was a coincidence." Sasuke looked at the blond and the brunette. "I wish I could see the angle but I'm missing something."

Naruto frowned at Sasuke's frustration and cursed himself for his lack of skill at reading between the lines. All the players had shown up to the game tonight and Naruto had no answer to give to Sasuke as to why. Glancing up he saw Gaara crossing the street and Sasori and Sai moving in as well. Once at the sidewalk, they all exchanged looks.

"Let's go home guys," Naruto spoke up. "We can talk things over during prep tomorrow."

"Fucking aye," Sasori added and Tenten threw Naruto a cautious look.

"What's on your mind, Ten?" Naruto asked.

"I was thinking about a caravan back to Pierrepont. Just to be on the safe side."

"That won't be -"

"Sounds like a plan," Naruto said, cutting Sasuke off. "We'll wait here while you bring the other cars around."

It took only another ten minutes before they were all heading back to the manor with Gaara and Sakura in the lead, and Tenten bringing up the rear with Sai and Sas. With Juugo having a permanent room at The Palace, there was no need for him to join them on the ride home.

"The escort wasn't necessary."

Naruto glanced over at Sasuke and rolled his eyes. "Would you prefer I pull over and let you walk home?"

"I would prefer you passing that damn redhead in front of us and getting the fuck home sooner rather than later." There was no irritation in Sasuke's voice, only the same rich velvet tone he used whenever he lay in bed with Naruto.

Naruto caught obvious intonation. "Impatient?"

"You're not?" Sasuke slid a hand up the inside of Naruto's thigh right as he was shifting gears. The blond jumped and the gears of the pristine Mercedes 680S hitched and ground out a painful fit. "Careful, _dobe_. Or I'll have to deduct the repairs out of your pay."

"Something tells me, a year's worth of my pay wouldn't even _begin_ to cover the cost." Naruto smirked and Sasuke responded by moving his hand higher, gently palming the growing hardness forming inside Naruto's pants. "Fuck, Sasuke," Naruto grunted and tried to focus on the road. "If you keep that up, I won't be able to, ugh... get outta the car when we get to the house." Naruto pushed and worked the gears again, but this time the car responded without protest.

Not being able to resist his need to increase the friction, Naruto flexed his hips into Sasuke's hand, as he drove on. He gripped the steering wheel tight, and tried, without much success, to hold back a low groan. Biting his bottom lip to keep him from moaning louder, he turned to find Sasuke staring hungrily back at him. The dark need in the Uchiha's eyes, tempted Naruto to pull the car over and fuck him in the front seat of his precious roadster, decency be damned. But instead he turned again to watch the road, and brutally bit down harder on his lip.

Sasuke didn't miss a single nuance playing on Naruto's readable face. The pleasure and passion he saw there beguiled him, but it was Naruto's pure openness that made his chest tighten. There was no fear or restraint in his blue eyes and Sasuke knew that every facet of Naruto now staring back at him, was his for the taking.

Mercifully they finally neared the four-story home and Naruto slowed the car. "Thank god," Naruto breathed out and untucked his shirt to hide his growing problem. He shot the now flushed gangster a cheeky grin. "Think you can make it up stairs without pawing at me?"

Sasuke yanked his shirt out to cover up his similar problem. "You think I'm trying to show restraint for my own benefit?" He quipped back and raised a brow at him. "I could fuck you on the stairs and not give a shit if they all watched."

Naruto let out a boisterous laugh. "I'd say go for it, if I wasn't already positive you wouldn't like that as much as you think. Especially if any of them enjoyed watching me as much as you enjoy watching me," he replied and raised both his brows at Sasuke.

Sasuke caught the dark look his lover's eyes but, "Hn," was all the gangster replied.

Once all the cars filed into the garage, everyone stretched and mumbled their way into the manor, griping about tomorrow's prep and the nights chaos.

"Perhaps a later prep time would be best," Sasuke spoke up from behind them all. "Tenten?"

The crew shuffled wearily to a stop at the foot of the staircase and turned back to Sasuke.

"Should be fine. Without the Hyuga's men to worry about, we can push it back to around 3 pm, the latest." Tenten looked around at the guys. "Whaddya think, gentlemen?"

"Gets my fucking vote," Sasori called out. Sai and Gaara said nothing and Sakura only smiled and winked at the feisty brunette.

"Sounds great, Ten. I'm beat." Naruto stretched his arms across his chest and yawned. "Though I wouldn't mind a hot bath before turning in."

More low murmurs and sighs floated around the crew. "A hot bath it is," Sasuke spoke up, as he reached out and took Naruto's hand into his own. "Goodnight, gentlemen… and ladies. Job well done."

A deep red flush burned through Naruto's cheeks as Sasuke took to the stairs, pulling him behind. Immediately, the blond shot his free hand to the back of his head and scrubbed at his hair. He didn't dare turn back and face the crew. " _Bastard,"_ he mumbled under his breath as he followed his lover up the staircase, but Sasuke only threaded his fingers with Naruto's in response.

Down on the first floor, the crew all exchanged various looks of surprise. Not because any of them were still in the dark about their boss's infatuation with the blue-eyed hood, but out of shock at Sasuke's very public display of their affair.

Tenten raised her brow at Sasori who rolled his eyes and Sakura nudged Gaara with her elbow and tried to stifle a giggle. Sai was already headed into the kitchen to take the side door down to his apartment and missed the whole thing.

Gaara watched the two men round the second floor railing. It didn't bother him that his friend wouldn't be coming home tonight. After all, Naruto was a grown man and could do as he pleased. What did bother Gaara was his concern regarding Naruto's feelings. More than anything he wanted Naruto to be happy but as he turned to head to the kitchen a strange heaviness filled his chest. _Could Sasuke make Naruto happy?_ Doubt clouded Gaara's thoughts as he made his way downstairs. He tried to reconcile which would make Naruto happier, staying in New York or leaving for the west. _The damn blond would never back out of the plans for California,_ he thought. Without a doubt, Gaara knew Naruto would willingly walk away from the Uchiha rather than break his word. Even if it meant breaking his own heart.

A deep sigh left his lungs as he unlocked his apartment door to let Sakura and himself in.

"You're in love with him, aren't you?"

After locking the door behind them, he turned and faced Sakura; his eyes blank, still not fully comprehending her question.

Sakura sat down on the couch and kicked off her shoes. She turned her face up to his and smiled. "You don't have to be embarrassed. I would never betray a confidence and it's not like I wouldn't understand. He's a wonderful friend and a beautiful man."

Gaara opened his mouth but no words would come.

"Well, not just handsome but beautiful on the inside. I can definitely see why you -"

"No. I mean… no, I'm not in love with Naruto." Gaara blinked at words he was saying. It never occurred to him to consider the question and he paused for a moment actually wondering if it was a possibility. "No…" he answered more slowly. "I'm not in love with him. I just…"

Sakura stared at him and waited.

"I just want him to be happy. I don't… want to see him hurt again. He deserves to find some peace and I want to help him find it. I owe him that."

"And you don't think a crime boss is a suitable boyfriend."

Gaara sat down at the other end of the couch and worked off his tie and jacket. "There's no helping it now," he said quietly. "He'd never admit it to me, but he's already over the moon for Sasuke."

"You're thinking about California."

Gaara stared at Sakura. "He won't back out of going. Even if I told him I changed my mind, he'd see right through it and leave Sasuke behind."

Sakura nodded, finally understanding the dilemma. "If he stays, he'll be trapped by the clan and if he leaves…" She let out a sigh.

Before Gaara could answer, Sakura slapped her hands on her knees and abruptly got up from the sofa and disappeared into the kitchen. Moments later, she walked back into the sitting area with two opened beer bottles. After setting one on the coffee table in front of Gaara and the other next to her, she reached into her bag, pulled out a pack of smokes and tossed them onto the table.

"You know," she said after she sat back down. "It wasn't that long ago, when you stayed up with me all night, taking care of me when I was too far gone to take care of myself." She reached for her beer, held it up in toast and Gaara raised his in return. Sakura clanked the two together and they both drank. "Give me a chance to return the favor and offer my ear to a friend?" she said after she swallowed down the cold brew.

Without thinking, Gaara lifted the corner of his mouth and softened his bright green eyes her.

* * *

Sasuke pulled Naruto around the third floor railing to the door at the far end of the landing and stopped. "You have my keys," he said as he turned to face him.

"You're a real bastard, you know that?" Naruto tilted his head to the side and pulled a grin from the side of his face.

"I believe we already established that on the day we met," Sasuke stated matter of factly.

Naruto let go of his hand to dig around his pocket for the keys. "There are better ways of staking your claim that don't include embarrassing me in front of everyone," he said and handed over the keys.

"I'm sure there are." Sasuke answered and unlocked the door to his private rooms.

From the hardwood floors to the blush red colored walls, the rooms beyond the door were everything Sasuke. Once through, the entryway opened up into a small study, and Naruto lifted his gaze to the bookcase lined walls stuffed with books. He smiled at the Uchiha's obvious love of literature. A small dark wooden letter desk sat in the middle ofthe room, bookended by two ornate upholstered chairs and straight beyond the desk, was the entrance to a large windowed-in veranda.

When Naruto glanced through the arched opening leading to the room on his left, his eyes widened fractionally. Enormous windows let in the moonlit sky, revealing a spacious sitting room with several plush red couches on one far end and a small breakfast table on the other. He took note of the cream colored walls and wooden floors and considered its size. Is this where Sasuke entertained his guests? Trying not to think of the ones before him, Naruto pulled his eyes away to comment how beautiful it all was and saw Sasuke walking through yet another entry on the right.

He followed after him through the single wooden doorway into what appeared to be Sasuke's bedroom. On the right of the room was a long plush red velvet couch that sat in front of a fireplace and below his feet, enormous persian styled rugs that covered the wood floor, nearly wall to wall. Naruto looked over to where Sasuke was taking off his cufflinks and emptying his pockets. He watched him place them on the nightstand to the left of a large oversized bed, before slipping off his shoes and working to remove his vest. The bed sat straight back against another set of enormous windows that overlooked the East River and the Manhattan Harbor beyond and again Naruto smiled.

Slipping off his own shoes, Naruto looked past the fireplace and could see another arched opening to a farther off room and two more doorways off to the side. He figured them for a closet or bathroom and turned back, letting his eyes take in the whole of the room around him.

Naruto's voice caught in his throat. Everything was beautiful and detailed; nothing out of place and yet a place for everything. Tapestries and antiques, books and a soft quiet filled the room. Everywhere was evidence of Sasuke's success and Naruto had to admit, that even he would have a hard time walking away from such a lavish lifestyle.

A cold shiver went through him. There would be no walking away for Sasuke. He had already made it clear to Naruto that his place and his life, was with his clan. The two of them only had until October and then their time together would be done. Naruto swallowed hard around the memory of their arrangement and tried to push those thoughts aside. A small amount of time was better than no time at all, he tried to reassure himself and turned, stepping up behind the velvet couch. He looked to the fireplace and caught his reflection in the vast mirror hanging above the mantel. The entire expanse of the room reflected in it and as he scanned the bedroom, he caught the sight of Sasuke walking up behind him.

"You always think so loud," Sasuke said and circled his arms around Naruto's waist, pulling him flush against his body.

"Mmmm…" he answered and leaned his head back. "I was thinking about how beautiful your home is. Anybody ever get lost in here?" He gave a half-hearted laugh and Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him through the mirror.

"It's just money, Naruto. If I lost it all tomorrow and had to live in a box under the Brooklyn Bridge, I'd have that box looking like mansion worth thousands in no time."

Naruto lifted his head and stared into the mirror at Sasuke. "I don't doubt it for a second." he said, and gave him the same look he gave, the day he marveled at Sasuke's natural Houdini-like talents.

"Tch." Sasuke immediately blushed and pulled away, but this time Naruto came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's lean frame, burying his face into the back of his neck and kissing it soft. He then ran his hands over his cotton shirt covered chest and back down to his waist, stopping to take hold the Uchiha's belt. Naruto gently bit the slope of Sasuke's neck as he worked to unbutton and open his slacks.

Before Naruto could get to the zipper, Sasuke pulled loose and turned around. Like a flash, Sasuke's hands found purchase in Naruto's soft blond locks and dragged him in for a brutal kiss. As their teeth scraped, he backed the blond up until his ass hit the back of the velvet couch. When he felt the blond's hardness press up against his own, he filled Naruto's mouth with a low groan

Naruto grabbed at his hips and tucked his hands under the Uchiha's shirt, letting his fingers caress Sasuke's heated skin. Easing up on his grip, Naruto wanted instead to build the passion slow and steady. Without the one night only deadline hanging over their heads, he wanted to savor Sasuke. Take his time and pull out every moan he could from the gangster and watch every second of his damn stoic demeanor crack and fall away. He nibbled and tugged at Sasuke's lips, then thrust his tongue in, teasing his mouth with force before again slowing down to gently taunt him with soft bites.

The inexplicable feeling that Naruto was right where he belonged, enveloped him. He circled his arms tight around Sasuke's waist and arched into his body. His scent, his taste and the way Sasuke seemed to know Naruto better than he thought he knew himself, pushed at his senses. He worked to not ruin the moment by thinking about the day he would have to leave this man behind, but as he squeezed the Uchiha even tighter, he couldn't stop the emotions from swelling up inside him. With creased brows and a soft grimace etched on his face, he deepened his kiss, trying to imprint every beautiful aspect of Sasuke onto his mind through the sheer force of his will.

Between the need building inside of him and the way Naruto was now teasing his mouth at a languid pace, Sasuke felt the urge to rush things not so easy to dismiss. The only thing that held him back was the power behind the blond's passionate kiss; coaxing them both to take their time and Sasuke fully intended to. With his hands still buried in the blond's soft locks, Sasuke slowed his grinding and opened his mouth wide to Naruto's kiss.

Finally having him all to himself, Sasuke meant to relish every taste of Naruto and spend the next few hours, exploring every facet there was to him. Breaking the kiss, he pulled back to look into Naruto's deep blue eyes.

"There's time," he said and ran his hands down to Naruto's neck. With both his thumbs under his chin, he pushed his head back and lightly pressed his lips against the base of Naruto's neck. Sasuke lathed his tongue up the slope and sucked hard at the skin just underneath his jawline. Naruto slid his hands up Sasuke's back in response and scraped his nails back down, from shoulders to waist. Sasuke let out a low gritty moan and bit down on Naruto's neck reveling in the shudder that rippled through the blond.

With some effort, Sasuke pulled back and reached under his shirt, taking Naruto's hands and moving them to the back edge of the couch. "Keep your hands here and don't let go," he said, trying to catch his breath.

Naruto shuddered as Sasuke's words warmed against his skin, sending goosebumps down his spine. He took hold of the couch and wondered what Sasuke had in mind for him. Sasuke raised his head and took a small step back. With Naruto's full attention, he began to unbutton his dress shirt, causing the blond to bite his lip at the sight of Sasuke slowly undressing in front of him. With a searing lust in his eyes, Sasuke gave him a smirk as he finished with the last button and stepped in closer to Naruto. Starting at the collar, he slowly undid Naruto's shirt while letting his fingers lightly graze against his hot skin, reminiscent of their first moment alone with each other.

"Fuck Sasuke…" Naruto closed his eyes and lolled his head back. "That time in the closet… ugh… god, you made me so…" His breathing became shallow and he lifted his head and stared with eyes burning into Sasuke's midnight ones.

The last button came free and Sasuke opened the shirt, running his hands over Naruto's smooth tan skin. "And yet you had never been with a man before then," he said, not taking his hands or his eyes off the hard body in front of him.

"Because I didn't -"

Sasuke brought his gaze up and searched Naruto's face. "You didn't...?"

"I didn't want a man until I met you."

Sasuke marked the way Naruto's blue eyes dilated as he spoke and couldn't resist crushing his mouth over Naruto's and kissing him with delicious abandon.

With shirts open and Sasuke now pressed up against him, Naruto couldn't resist grabbing him, and digging his nails into Sasuke's back. His tongue surged and a low thrum escaped his throat. Sasuke worked to slow the kiss and again grabbed the blond's hands, placing them back onto the edge of the couch.

Naruto stared at him, breathless; his lips wet and swollen from Sasuke's ruthless feeding. In front of him stood Sasuke; his sinewy hardened chest was now sheened with beads of sweat, making Naruto lick his lips. The gangsters open shirt, mussed hair and undone pants, had Naruto in a daze and wondering how much longer he'd be able to hold himself back from touching him… tasting him.

"And now?" Sasuke's voice was rich and thick. Not meeting his blue eyes, he slid his hands down Naruto's chest and began tugging at his belt.

Naruto smiled as he watched the Uchiha work. "Still not interested in men."

Sasuke lifted his eyes at him, curiously.

"Only you."

Sasuke replied by forcefully yanking open Naruto's slacks, causing the young man's hips to lift away from the couch at the aggression. He then leaned in close, teasing Naruto's mouth with his lips before grabbing his hair and jerking it back. Bending down, he took one of Naruto's nipples into his mouth and sucked at it hard.

Naruto's fingers dug into the edge of the couch and he bit his lip. "Uungh, fuck!" he gritted out through clenched teeth.

A dark smile came to Sasuke's eyes as he slowly sunk to the floor and onto his knees. With both hands he shimmied Naruto's pants downward until the thick enlarged cock straining against his slacks, bobbed free. Once the slacks were peeled off and tossed aside, Sasuke ran his hands up the cut hips to the flattened stomach above. He nuzzled the smooth plane before licking and sucking it harshly, taking pleasure in again seeing the blond marked by his doing.

Every goddamn thing about the blond enticed him. Not one of his previous lovers had tasted like Naruto, felt like Naruto or looked at him the way Naruto looked at him. It was Something about the way he saw through Sasuke's exterior and straight into his vulnerability, that had the Uchiha captivated. But with the clock ticking down their time together, he knew better than to waste the precious few months they had left by trying and explore why, right now. Instead, he took hold of Naruto's hips and cast his eyes up, setting his mind to making sure he didn't miss a thing.

With bated breath, Naruto turned his gaze downward and watched enthralled. All his focus was centered on the sight of Uchiha Sasuke on his knees and looking back up at him. Dishevelled and flushed with his dress shirt lazily open and his pants undone, the hardened criminal looked positively delectable. And when Sasuke took his length fully into his warm mouth and began to suck, Naruto threw his head back, and let out a long shaky mewl.

Sasuke's cock dripped at the cry that left Naruto. With his dark eyes fixed on him, he slowly swallowed Naruto's length and then pulled back, stopping only when his lips caught the ridge of the head. When Naruto's eyes rolled back, he sucked hard and used his tongue to flick the sensitive tip; relishing the way Naruto spasmed and cried out each time. Again Sasuke pushed in deep, swallowing slow to the very base of Naruto's dick and then pulled back once more, this time letting his teeth gently scrape against his shaft.

"Oh fuck!" Naruto's knees buckled and Sasuke steadied his hips. As soon as Naruto found his strength and straightened his legs, the Uchiha's mouth began to pick up pace. Naruto let out a long grated moan that filled the quiet room and looked down. "Sasuke… I…" Naruto lost his words. The sight was too much. He fought to keep his eyes open as he watched Sasuke's midnight eyes staring back at him with rapt attention.

Just then, Sasuke reached over and freed the white knuckled grip Naruto had on the couch. He brought Naruto's hands to the sides of his face and then moved them higher, urging him to grip the strands of his hair and use force.

"Unngholyfuck, Sss'ke!" Naruto gripped the dark hair hard and began pulling him down onto his cock, fucking his mouth, faster and faster. Sasuke let out a strangled groan from around his dick and reached behind Naruto. There, he dug his hands into the firm flesh of his ass and pulled Naruto deeper into his mouth.

With mouth open, Naruto threw his head back in pure rapture and came into Sasuke's mouth. His body thrusted wildly several more times as his climax ebbed. Sasuke however, continued to suck, causing Naruto's hips to convulse at the sensitivity, before finally succumbing to fatigue and sliding to his knees. Trembling and weak as he stared directly into Sasuke's eyes, and tried to catch his breath.

Sasuke used his thumb to swipe the remnants of Naruto from his lips, and then slid his thumb into the blond's slick hot mouth as he cupped Naruto's chin with his hand.

Naruto sucked and playfully teased the thumb with his teeth, enjoying the way Sasuke's eyes widened and narrowed with each playful bite. With feeling returning to his legs, Naruto shifted forward, encircling his hands around Sasuke's neck and pulled him in for a greedy kiss. He fed on the flavor of his climax now warm and piquant against the taste of Sasuke and immediately felt his cock begin to stir again.

"Fuck… that was…" Naruto breathed out against his lover's lips.

Sasuke closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Naruto's. He was ensorcelled. Every noise, eye roll and needy whine hadn't been missed. Naruto's complete abandon when in the throes of passion had the Uchiha painfully hard and fiercely ravenous.

Instead of replying, Sasuke pulled back and got to his feet. He slipped off his cotton shirt and let it fall to the floor. "You coming?" he asked and gave Naruto a sly grin as he turned and started toward the bed.

Naruto licked his lips and followed him.

* * *

"Like this?" Sakura held Gaara's switchblade in her right hand, trying to get her fingers to mimic the hold Gaara had shown her. With her index finger and thumb gripping the handle tightly she tried to keep the rest of her hand loose but semi-taut at the wrist. She aimed for the folded cardboard box they had pinned to the wall and readied her stance.

Gaara tilted his head and then stood up. "More like this." He moved in front of her and took hold of her hand to get her to ease up her grip and move her arm a bit more toward her body. "Are you sure you wanna do this?" he asked as he tried to figure out the best way to help her position her throw.

"What's wrong with a girl wanting to learn how to protect herself?" Sakura gave the redhead a look of mocked indignance. "Nobody thinks anything of Tenten knowing how to use weapons."

For a moment, Gaara paused, realizing the angle needed to give Sakura a better feel of the correct way to throw the knife. "Uh, no, you're right. Tenten can definitely handle herself," he said and walked around Sakura. "Here, like this." From directly behind her, he took her elbow in his right hand and brought his left around her waist. With his left, he corrected her hold on the blade, then placed his hand over her wrist, firmly wrapping his fingers around it. "When you throw it, your arm and wrist need to move like this." With his body flush against hers and his chin propped up on her left shoulder, he used his hands to move her arm and simulate the throw. "Underhand isn't as easy as overhand but it's usually unexpected and that's what makes it dangerous."

Sakura's breathing quickened. The feel of Gaara pressed against her with his arm around her waist sent a flow of heat through her body until finally nestling in her cheeks. Now flushed, she blinked trying to concentrate on the target. She inhaled a shaky breath and then let the blade fly.

"Not bad for your first time," Gaara said as he stared at the knife embedded in the wall several feet to the left of the target.

Sakura turned around to face him and raised both her brows at him. Both his hands dropped to her waist, resting there lightly, before falling away. He gave her a wide-eyed look and she burst out laughing.

"Gaara that was horrible! I'm gonna try again." She went for the blade and began to work the handle the Gaara way had shown her.

"Sasuke's gonna be pissed when he finds out we used the apartment walls for target practice." Gaara said, eyeing the large hole from the misfire.

Sakura readied her stance again and this time concentrated on the way Gaara had moved her arm and wrist to replicate a proper throw. "Well," she said, throwing the redhead a mischievous grin. "We'll just tell him Naruto did it." She let out a giggle and Gaara again felt a faint smile tug at the corner of his mouth

Turning back around she focused on the makeshift target and held her breath as she let the knife fly; remembering to flick her wrist at the last minute.

With eyes wide, Sakura stared stunned at the target. Dead center of the makeshift target was Gaara's switchblade.

Shoving both hands into his pockets, Gaara nodded in approval. "Now practice until you can do that twenty times in a row and one day you'll be half as good as me."

Sakura spun around and let out a laugh of pure joy. "I did it!" She beamed at him and he couldn't resist giving her a small smile back.

Gaara watched her celebrate. He wasn't surprised when he saw her fetch the knife again and return to the spot behind the far end of the couch to have another go. She didn't get a bulls eye on her next try but she hit the target again, sending her into an even more excited state as she raced to grab the blade from the wall.

A strange sense of contentment filled him as he watched her throw again and again. It didn't escape him that he hadn't found it too unnerving when he had held her close while teaching her how to throw his switchblade. He wanted to say it was possibly due to the beer they had been drinking, but they had finished two each almost an hour ago and neither had made a move to grab another one.

The truth was that over the past few months, Gaara had begun to notice just how much Sakura had become a comfortable part of his life. During her withdrawals, he hadn't hesitated when she would wake up puking in the night. Whether holding her hair or her hand, he didn't once question it. After all, it was just like being with Naruto. _Wasn't it?_

Some nights they had both fallen asleep in his room, her curled up beside him and Gaara next to her; watching over her through the night. When she would wake up crying, ashamed of her cold sweats and shakes, it had been Gaara who soothed her by holding her hand gently in his. _Isn't that what friends do for each other?_

A small crease formed between his eyes. What was feeling that had snaked up his back when he wrapped his arm around her earlier? He glanced up at Sakura and saw how concentrated she was, focused only on the target and getting her aim just right. This time with more fluidity, she let the blade go and his eyes followed its path straight into the center of the cardboard.

"Hell yeah!" She shouted and then quickly covered her mouth with both her hands. Her eyes danced with delight and she jumped up and down before finally freeing her voice. "Haha! I'm so sorry about that, I guess I got a little too excited!"

"I promise not to tell anyone you said a bad word." Gaara sat down on the coffee table as he watched her. Sakura shot him a mischievous grin and then went again to retrieve the knife.

She folded the switchblade closed and joined him. "That was incredible. I can't believe I was able to do it." She smiled wide at him plopped herself down onto the couch. She reached for the beer bottle next to where he was sitting on the coffee table and checked to see if there was any left.

"There's more in the fridge." Gaara said but she shook her head.

"Just wanted a sip. A whole other one might put me down for the night." She answered and set the bottle back.

"It is getting late."

Sakura gave him a smile. "It is. I'm sorry. I guess I got carried away. You must be exhausted after such a long night."

"I was thinking about you. I probably shouldn't have went on about Naruto the way I did."

"Gaara…" Sakura moved to the edge of the couch and leaned close. "Everybody needs someone to talk to once in awhile. And I'm glad you let me be that someone for you."

He stared back at her and again wondered about that strange feeling moving through him. This time it settled in the pit of his stomach, making him feel uncharacteristically nervous.

"Gaara?"

"Nothing. I mean-"

Sakura smiled soft at her friend. "It's okay. It is getting late." She looked down at the blade in her hand. "I had so much fun tonight!" She lifted her face and her eyes shined at him. "Thank you for the lesson, It's nice not feeling so useless."

" _You are not useless."_ Gaara hadn't meant to put such a hard edge in his voice but her words had touched a nerve.

She swallowed hard and gave him a smile. "Here and thanks again." She held the knife out to him and when he reached for it, the damn thing slipped from both their hands and fell to the floor between them. They both went forward to grab for it and banged their heads together with a loud, _thunk_.

"Ow!" Sakura winced and laughed out loud, grabbing her forehead with her hand.

"Are you okay?" Gaara reached out for her but then remembered himself and his left hand froze in midair. He was trying to think of what to say when his gaze fell upon her right shoulder. The silk shirt she was wearing had shifted, exposing not just her shoulder, but the long delicate slope of her neck. His eyes then darted to the strap of her slip that was now showing, sleek and bright against her skin. Gaara held his breath as he followed it with his eyes. He couldn't seem to pull his gaze away from the way it gently hugged her smooth skin. Again he creased his eyes but this time at the strange thoughts that were now swimming inside his head. It didn't make sense. _Why, did he want to…?_

With eyes transfixed, Gaara watched as his hand reached out and two of his fingers gently touched the soft sheen of her strap where it lay against the top of her shoulder. Slowly, his fingers traced it down, marveling at its silky feel, before lifting his fingers away where the strap began to disappear under her blouse. He then looked to her bare shoulder and took hold of her shirt where it had fallen, lifting it slow and back over to cover her skin as well as the strap. Gaara paused and held onto the collar for a moment, letting his fingers play against the silky feel of it; again not fully knowing why he felt so compelled. As his hand fell away, his eyes scanned her throat and latched onto the base of her neck. There, just faintly, he could see the skin pulsing to the beat of her heart and that was when Gaara noticed the swift rise and fall of her chest.

He lifted his head and saw Sakura's eyes were closed. Her lips were slightly parted and he could hear her breath coming in soft shallow pants. Gaara stilled. He couldn't quite understand the new and strange emotion that was building in him but as he watched Sakura, he knew enough to know what his actions had caused her to feel.

After seconds that seemed like hours, Sakura opened her eyes and they both looked at one another. There were no questions or doubt in her face. And as Gaara searched her eyes for some kind of clue as to what would happen next or for some explanation about how it all started, all he saw looking back at him were eyes filled with trust.

He knew she would make no move toward him nor give him any sign of denial should he continue, and the sudden knowing caused his heart to race. Gaara stared at her as realization flooded through him.

He wanted to tell her that he finally understood. He wanted his voice to work and help him explain to her that he had long ago accepted that this feeling would never come. That it would never find him and make him spin the way he had witnessed it happen so many times to others. Gaara wanted to explain that underneath the fear and anxiety was a quiet fire he had no idea what to do with. This wasn't his territory. This wasn't anywhere he had ever been before.

The confusion and pain rolling through him must have shown because Sakura took in a deep breath and smiled softly at him. "It's okay, Gaara. You don't -"

He punched his left hand into the sofa cushion next to where she was sitting and Sakura gasped. When she looked back at him, Gaara had dropped his head and was now shaking it slow as if in disbelief.

He lifted his gaze. With face blank and his green eyes bright and focused, he leaned in close. Not taking his eyes from hers; stopping when he felt her breath against his lips. For a second, she held his gaze until he finally dropped his, settling his eyes instead, onto her soft pink mouth.

Again he noted the new feelings. His breath felt erratic, his pulse loud in his ears. The strange desire to touch her returned and more crazy thoughts pushed their way into his mind. _What do her lips feel like? Why does her perfume make me feel anxious? Is her skin as soft as it looks?_ He closed his eyes and gently pressed his lips against the warmth of hers. Gaara's heart began to thud hard in his chest and everything around him felt tight and loose all at once. He dug his left hand deep into the cushion, gripping it with fierce determination, hoping it would anchor him and keep him from giving into fear and bolting. He needed to calm down; to breathe. With his mouth still barely pressed against hers, he parted his lips in an effort to pull in more oxygen and hopefully ease the breathless feeling in his chest.

Gaara's whole body locked and all his awareness pinpointed to where Sakura's breath was mixing with his own. There he sat with his mouth pressed against hers, lips parted, swallowing her the sweet breath as it flowed into him, sending the first tinglings of arousal down his spine. With all his senses screaming at him, Gaara closed his mouth over her bottom lip and kissed her.

Sakura's world tilted. With her heart racing, a quiet sigh left her mouth as she kissed him back, slow and easy, not wanting to add any demand to it.

Panic suddenly gripped Gaara and he broke the kiss. He pulled back, and rested his forehead against hers, out of breath and not able to meet her gaze. The undeniable feeling growing between his legs filled him with terror and he couldn't stop the fear that was beginning to turn his stomach.

"I'm sor-. I can't." Gaara squeezed his eyes shut, desperately trying to reason with his brain that there was nothing to be afraid of, but his body wouldn't budge and his mind shut down, leaving him with a growing sense of arousal mixed with uncontrollable fear.

Gaara crumbled. Pulling farther back, he then slid from coffee table and down onto his knees; his head coming to rest in Sakura's lap. Before she could utter a word, Gaara hitched his breath and buried his face under his hands. There against Sakura's knees, lost in shame and doubt, Gaara began to weep.

* * *

Out of breath and on his knees, Naruto faced the headboard and gripped it tighter. Looking up he caught the reflection of both he and Sasuke in the window that overlooked the harbor. Both their faces were flushed and dripping with sweat. They had been going at it for more than an hour when after their last shower, Sasuke had gotten his fourth second wind and slammed Naruto up against the headboard, just before wildly driving into him from behind.

Naruto grunted at each thrust, trying to hang on and push back, not wanting to be passive. "Sasuke… don't stop," he groaned and threw his head back just as Sasuke leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Naruto.

Still pumping into Naruto with long hard thrusts, Sasuke moved his head in close. "Fuck, Naruto, you feel so fucking tight," he said against his ear and Naruto's eyes rolled back at the gritty force of Sasuke's voice.

"Fuck I love, ugh, it when you talk, ugh, dirty," Naruto replied just as Sasuke shifted his hips, angling again for just the right - "Fuuuck me!" Naruto yelled out and his body spasmed from the lighting flash of pleasure that shot through him.

"God, Naruto…" Sasuke embraced him tighter. As each shock wave pulsed through Naruto, Sasuke held onto him, loving the way his whole body shook and writhed against his own. "Tell me, ugh… Tell me what you want," Sasuke panted out.

The blond turned his head to Sasuke's and kissed him. Both their tongues surged into the other's mouth, sucking and biting until Sasuke shifted again and Naruto let out long moan directly into Sasuke's mouth. As soon as another shudder coursed its way through Naruto's body, Sasuke immediately felt himself closing in on his orgasm.

"I want you to make me scream," Naruto finally answered and pushed back against the headboard so he could drop his forehead to the bed. Like this, he could press his face against the mattress while his ass stayed arched up high.

Sasuke let Naruto sink to the bed. He looked down at the way he chose to arch himself and slowed his thrusts, licking his lips at the sight. Taking hold of Naruto's hips, he then ran his hands over the smooth mounds of his ass, squeezing them and digging his fingers into the firm flesh.

"Well?"

Sasuke pulled his gaze from the view in front of him and saw Naruto looking back at him. "I thought you were gonna make me scream?" He said and lifted a brow at him.

Sasuke smirked and a glimmer came to his eye. Without a word, he slid out of Naruto and bent down while holding Naruto's hips firmly in place. Before the blond had time to register what was happening, Sasuke buried his face into the crack of his ass and began to lick.

"Unngh God!" Naruto screamed out, and though he couldn't see him, Sasuke smiled. Frantically, Naruto reached back but Sasuke grabbed both his hands and pinned them to his ass. "Sasuke, oh God!" Naruto shoved his face into the cool cotton sheets as his entire body jerked and flexed into the feeling of Sasuke penetrating him with his tongue. The same desire of wanting to pull away and wanting more flooded through him and he shook his head not knowing how much longer he could take the spine-tingling pleasure of Sasuke nipping and sucking hungrily at his entrance.

With his hands pressed over Naruto's, Sasuke used his grip to make Naruto spread himself open so he could move in further and let his tongue tease around his opening before delving inside, deep.

"Sasuke! Fuck!" Again Naruto screamed into the mattress and rolled his eyes at the sensation of being fed on. Slowly he arched his hips, writhing them back to push up into Sasuke's mouth; his body finally giving into its need for more. "Please, Sasuke don't… don't stop!" Naruto panted out and Sasuke let out a low muffled growl.

"Oh fuuuuck…" Naruto groaned. The vibration of Sasuke's voice mixed with his relentless prodding made Naruto's toes curl. "I'm close! Sasuke!"

Suddenly, Sasuke pulled back and moved his knees up just before again pushing his cock deep into Naruto.

"Yesss...ugh!" Naruto called out and took hold of the headboard to lift himself up. He arched his back; out of breath and close to orgasm. God, how Sasuke could drive him out of his mind. One of his hands reached back and pulled at Sasuke's hip, trying to tug him closer, harder, anything to just feel more of the delicious way his lover was moving inside him.

After positioning himself, Sasuke took hold of Naruto's hip with one hand and with the other, lifted him up to pull him close and flush with his body. "I want to watch you," he said into Naruto's ear and stared straight into the window at both their reflections.

Naruto lifted his arms behind his head and fisted his hands into Sasuke's hair ruthlessly. Still, pumping into Naruto, Sasuke grunted at the sharp pain and moved his hand lower, taking hold of Naruto's erection, now leaking and strained to full attention.

With one hand on Naruto's hip and the other trying to stroke his shaft, Sasuke ground his hips into Naruto and kept his eyes glued to the window. Naruto's blue eyes were ablaze and reflecting against the soft moonlight. Sasuke kept his pace and with muscles burning he marked every twitch, each needy moan and all of Naruto's endless readable facial expressions. The man who gave himself to Sasuke completely was now lost in total ecstasy and the young Uchiha gangster was mesmerized.

"Cum for me, Naruto," he breathed into his ear and the blond brought his head up to look catch Sasuke's eyes reflecting in the glass. Without pulling his gaze, Sasuke slid his tongue out and licked the lobe of Naruto's ear before taking it into his mouth to suck and bite.

A spasm rocked through Naruto and he came hard, sputtering his release onto Sasuke's hand and onto the headboard. His body shook and locked, as languid sobs fell from his lips and he cried out Sasuke's name. Sasuke managed only three more thrusts and then came, mouth open and staring straight into the window and into Naruto's eyes. Breathless, he tried to steady himself. The room around them stilled and Sasuke brought his mouth down onto his lover's shoulder and bit down on it. He then let his head lean against his shoulder and brought his hand up to his mouth, licking Naruto's climax from his knuckles.

The blond shifted and turned to face him. Trying to ignore the sudden feeling of emptiness, Naruto leaned in and wrapped his lips around Sasuke's fingers. Staring into each other's eyes, they lapped at the flavor until Sasuke dropped his hand and covered Naruto's mouth with his own.

Together they fell to the mattress, sinking into the pillows, as they held one another, passionately kissing. Sasuke rolled Naruto beneath him and nuzzled his neck. "Naruto," he said against his skin.

"Hmmm...?" Naruto replied, enjoying the weight of Sasuke against him.

But Sasuke didn't answer. He placed another soft bite on the ridge of Naruto's jaw line and rolled slowly off and onto his back, pulling the blond with him. Naruto draped a leg over Sasuke and laying his head against him, he smiled and closed his eyes.

* * *

Gaara moved his arm and gently lay it over Sakura. After his earlier breakdown and once he composed himself, she had led him into the bedroom and pulled him to lie next to her. She didn't press herself against him or wrap her arms around him but had simply laid down next to him. When his head sunk into the pillow, she pulled the covers over them both and closed her eyes. Now, as he faced her sleeping face, he moved his arm across her waist, lightly laying it over her and took a moment to consider things.

All his anxiety faded as he scanned her soft features. The simple realization that she would never demand or expect any more from him, had Gaara wondering if he had it in him to give her anything in return. The panic had surprised him. He had always known that he might never find a way through the scars he still carried, and that those old memories could end up ruling the long length of his life. But as he watched Sakura sleeping peacefully, he allowed himself to finally wonder if he'd no longer have to face the long length of his life, alone. Still watching her softly sleeping, exhaustion finally claimed him. Slowly, Gaara closed his eyes and fell into a deep peaceful sleep.

* * *

"Really?" Naruto asked looking up at him.

"Since I was four," Sasuke answered, lacing his hand with Naruto's as they lay in bed watching the sunrise slowly light the room.

"I never would have guessed. Is it hard to learn?"

Sasuke smiled. "I can teach you if you like."

"I'd like that," Naruto said, trying to hide the longing in his voice. With his time in New York limited, Naruto doubted there would be much opportunity to learn a new skill. Shoving those thoughts aside, Naruto changed the subject. "Do you remember Japan?"

Sasuke took Naruto's hand and pressed it flat in between both of his, lining up their fingers. "My fingers are slightly longer than yours."

"The better to tease me with," Naruto joked. "But don't change the subject."

Sasuke smirked but didn't meet his eyes. "No. Do you?"

"No." Naruto leaned his head against Sasuke's shoulder. "Do you ever wonder what it's like?"

"Not really." Sasuke's stomach tightened as flashbacks of his brother flickered through his mind.

"Sometimes I wonder. Not because I'm on a mission to go back or anything, but because I can't help but think about where I come from and if I would recognize it as home if I ever got the chance to see it again." Naruto tilted his head up and saw Sasuke still examining their hands.

Finally, the dark-haired man looked back at him. "Home is wherever you want it to be."

Naruto considered Sasuke's answer but chose not to challenge it. There were too many connotations hiding in his tone. Instead he lolled his head back and glanced around the bedroom. Sunlight was now crawling across the furniture and bookshelves allowing Naruto to scour the room with curious eyes.

Upside down, he stared at the large bookcase next to the bed and then rolled over onto his stomach to get a better view. Sasuke let go of his hand and eyed him.

The darkness of the room was now giving way to the approaching sunrise, making it easier for Sasuke to fully take in the nakedness of Naruto. He watched him inch over to the edge of the bed to get a closer look at his book collection and aside from his well-muscled body and firm ass, it was Naruto's scars that grabbed most of Sasuke's attention.

They still had yet to return to that topic. Of course, there wasn't a day that it didn't cross Sasuke's mind to ask him, but being the Uchiha that he was, he already knew that whatever answer Naruto gave as to how it happened, would end up becoming a mission of vengeance for the ruthless gangster. Not wanting to cast a shadow over time together, he decided to again shelve the topic... for now.

"Have you read _all_ of these books?" Naruto asked, knowing full well, Sasuke was watching him. He cast his eyes from shelf to shelf, taking in the titles along the mismatched spines of each book, wondering just how smart Sasuke really was.

A hardcover with a worn green leather binding caught his eye. _Beyond The Reign of Time,_ was embossed along its spine. As Naruto reached for it, he glanced back at Sasuke.

Having propped himself up against some pillows against the headboard, Sasuke laced his hands together behind his head, and simply stared back at him; his face giving nothing away.

With a snort of laughter, Naruto turned his attention back to the book and pulled it free. He moved closer to Sasuke near the center of the bed and placed the book in front of him. His fingers traced over the raised lettering on the front cover, appreciating the supple texture of the leather. The book was worn in several places along the front and back edges and not wanting to damage the book further, Naruto carefully opened it and gently thumbed through the first few pages.

"Poetry?" He asked raising his head to look at Sasuke. But the Uchiha was now staring up at the ceiling with his stoic mask firmly in place. Naruto grinned and returned his attention to the book. As far as he could tell, it wasn't a collective work, but more like one enormous single poem, winding its way through the every page. Some of it was in paragraph form and some written in lines two by two with the usual rhyming that accompanied most poetry, peppered throughout. He saw lines describing kings and knights and great bloody battles fought against mythical beasts. He flipped through more pages and his eyes scanned over flowery words and phrases he had never in his life uttered, let alone read.

Smirking, Naruto decided to give it a try. " _...and in your darkness I sought thy pain; wrenched hard and foul against thy heart to lay my loyal claim…"_

" _Never once to shriek,"_ Sasuke interrupted, " _or shake from the cold therein. Bound in Hell with you, was and is forever, my utmost welcomed sin."_

Naruto gaped at Sasuke who still had his face turned up. Deep in contemplation, Sasuke continued on. " _From those depths I battled and strayed too far along the edge of peace. Stumbling, I savaged all for war, and near broke my rage upon thy face, desperate to be free, so I might ache for you no more."_

Naruto sat up, still clutching the book in his hands and looked from it back again to Sasuke. Word for word, he had recited it, leaving Naruto dumbfounded. He set the book aside and crawled to Sasuke who lowered his head to face him as he approached. With his blue eyes dancing, Naruto straddled him and leaned forward. Encircling his arms around his neck, he kissed him soft. Strong hands found his waist and Naruto ground his groin against Sasuke's in response.

"Ask me again." Naruto moved his head back just enough to catch Sasuke's eyes and for a moment the Uchiha only looked back at him.

Sasuke's brow flicked in realization and he tugged at Naruto's waist, dragging him closer. "Tell me what you want, Naruto."

Pressing his mouth to Sasuke's, Naruto nibbled on his bottom lip. "You _._ I want _you._ "

The Uchiha devoured the words. Crushing his mouth against Naruto's, he pulled the blond down and wrapped a leg around him. He then reached back and cupped Naruto's ass, kneading it deep before gripping it hard to bring him in flush.

Naruto's declaration fed Sasuke's possessiveness while simultaneously reminding him that he wouldn't be able to hold onto him for long. Craving distraction, he broke their kiss and went after Naruto's neck, biting and sucking, leaving wet and reddened hickies littered along the slope. Dirty noises followed by filthy words fell from Naruto's lips and Sasuke brought his hands to his lover's chest and pinched both pebbled nipples hard. Naruto dropped his head, buckling into Sasuke as pleasure and pain washed through him.

"Aaaahh-God, when you do that," he choked out and Sasuke pushed him back and sat up.

Still straddling him, Naruto looked down into Sasuke's midnight eyes. With eyes locked, he watched Sasuke take a nipple into his mouth and suck. With mouth open, Naruto pulled in a sharp breath and Sasuke responded by teasing the nub with his teeth before pulling a long lick across it. Naruto bit his lip just as Sasuke blew his breath over the nipple causing the skin to tighten and Naruto to dig his nails into Sasuke's back. Both men hissed.

"What are you doing to me, Sasuke?" Naruto whispered, looking directly into his eyes.

The Uchiha smiled darkly. "Whatever you want me to do to you," he answered and Naruto bent in closer and pressed his open mouth to Sasuke's, teasing his tongue with his own. Their hot breath commingled and Naruto began grinding, trying to build the friction of his stiff cock against Sasuke's stomach.

"Whatever _I_ want?" Naruto pulled back and flashed him half a grin.

"Why do I get the feeling you're referring to something else entirely?"

"Would you object?

The black in Sasuke's eyes deepened. "No."

"Mmm, I like the sound of that," Naruto said and bit into Sasuke's lip. When the gangster groaned loud, Naruto pulled back and grabbed his wrists. With powerful agility, Naruto rolled onto the bed and flipped Sasuke off and over, pinning him face down onto the mattress and restraining his wrists behind his back. Straddling him from behind, Naruto held him still.

Sasuke turned his head to the side and tried to look back. His heart was racing and he could already feel the moisture from his leaking dick dampening the sheets. Naruto's grip was fierce and even though he was gripping both wrists with only one hand, Sasuke could barely feel any give.

Naruto squeezed his grip tighter. "If you keep squirming, I'll be forced to tie you up."

A low rumble of laughter escaped Sasuke. "Is that what you have in mind?"

"Afraid?"

"I don't see any rope," Sasuke answered. His heartbeat was loud in his ears and he closed his eyes. A strange anxiousness filled him. He never imagined being on the receiving end yet he couldn't deny the instant arousal Naruto's warning had caused. He felt the bed shift and opened his eyes.

"You mean this?" Naruto leaned to the side and reached under the pillow at the far end of the headboard. He pulled out the length of rope that was hiding there and piled it on Sasuke's back. Naruto leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "I found it while you were busy playing with my ass."

Sasuke turned his head and burrowed his face into the bed. He was so painfully hard and dripping. When he felt the rope being cinched around his wrists, Sasuke's breathing became shallow and harsh. For a second he wondered how Naruto learned to bind him so quickly but couldn't hold onto the thought once Naruto pulled the knot tight and slowly moved off of him. Clamping down to keep himself from moaning out loud, Sasuke clenched his jaw,.

Naruto's hands smoothed over Sasuke's ass. He ran a finger along the slit of it and then used both his hands to knead the flesh, pulling him slightly open and then kneading the mounds together, only to spread them open again, wickedly taunting Sasuke.

"Tell me what you want, Sasuke," Naruto said in a rich husky voice.

"Naruto…" Sasuke was overwhelmed. His voice caught and he let out a shaky breath, trying to calm himself.

Suddenly a loud rapping came from a room over and both Sasuke and Naruto turned their heads toward the sound.

"What-" Naruto said but was cut off by another urgent round of knocking coming from the study.

" _Sasuke!"_ A deep voice called out and Naruto immediately recognized it and began to furiously untie Sasuke.

Once free, Sasuke gave Naruto a confused look and they both went off in different directions to find their clothes.

"Something's happened." Sasuke said and pulled up his pants. "Yamato would never…" he turned to Naruto and saw the blond still fumbling with his slacks.

"Go," Naruto told him. Sasuke nodded and headed to the door, not waiting for him.

Adrenaline pumped through him and Naruto was grateful for the speed at which his body had cooled from its previous activity. He quickly fastened his pants and was reaching for his shirt when he looked up to see Sasuke standing in the doorway of the study. Walking slowly to the right, Naruto could see just past him to where Yamato was. He was saying something to Sasuke but Naruto couldn't hear what it was. He slid an arm into his shirt and watched as Yamato bowed low to Sasuke and held the position, head down and not getting up. Sliding his other arm in, he saw Sasuke's body suddenly slump against the frame of the door.

Naruto broke into a run. "Sasuke!"

The young Uchiha stared down at Yamato. " _Tousann… kaasan…"_ he said quietly. In a rare moment, Sasuke's mind was wiped blank. He knew what Yamato had just told him and he knew the man was telling the truth. What Sasuke didn't know, was what to do now. For the first time in his life, the ever-sharp Uchiha Sasuke had no idea what came next. With the news of his parent's death still ringing in his ears, all the air left his lungs and he fell against the thick wooden doorway.

Dazed and stunned, Sasuke thought he heard a familiar voice calling out his name.

 _To be continued..._

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A/N: Well, I really hope you liked this chapter. I've got a few more things in the works so, if you've made it this far, I hope you'll stick around and let me take you further into the dark. Love & blessings to you all. Love, Tandy.


	18. Chapter 18: Forgive me

**Warning** : Well, what should I say? If you've come this far (all previous 17 chapters) then you should know by now what to expect. This whole fic is boyXboy and filled with dark themes involving crime families, violence, prostitution, drug addiction and questionable perversion by Orochimaru. (C'mon we all knew he was a freak since that whole child's face thing he did when he faced off with the Third Hokage) So read on if you want… but don't say I didn't warn ya!

 **Author's note** : Monster. Beast. Yes, Dear Reader, this chapter is HUGE! Just shy of 23k, this chapter has everything you've been waiting for. But you won't know that until you read all the way to the end. So, though, it starts off a little slow, (death has a way of making time stand still don't it?) it WILL pick up, so don't peek ahead thinking this is a filler chapter! I left this at 22k to keep it from being just that. There was so much I wanted to cover so I could get to the end I wanted, that once it was all said and done, I was staring at my longest chapter, yet. So, grab some grub cuz this a long one! Also, I am sorry that these chapters aren't coming at a faster pace but I'll be honest with ya. I have a great ending planned and for a first-time fanfic writer like myself, I know it ain't gonna be easy getting there cuz I really don't wanna let y'all down. So bear with me, okee dokee? To all of you who have stuck with me this far, I promise that I'm giving it everything I have to get you the best fic I can write; all the way to the end. With that said, thanks again, Dear Reader and I hope you enjoy this chapter. I really loved writing this one, so buckle up! Shit's about to get good.

 **Disclaimer** **:** Kishi, bless you for such an amazing wealth of characters. It's only fitting that you get all the money and I do this all for free and the simple love of it.

 ****BIG UPS** to my fucking amazing BetaBae, Kizu! She blessed me with a beautiful section… if you're a fan of her writing as much as I am, you'll probably be able to pick out the scene. I fucking LOVE the way you write, bae. Thank you for constant encouragement and love. I love you, bae. I love you long time.

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 **Chapter 18: Forgive me**

On the first floor of the manor, Naruto took a deep breath as he sat on the soft cushioned couch in the library. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, scrubbed his face with his hands and looked around. He frowned at the clock on the far back wall. It was almost eleven in the morning and still no word from Sasuke.

It had been three days since Yamato had delivered the news that Sasuke's parents had been killed in a car crash and Naruto hadn't talked to Sasuke since.

After Yamato and Sasuke left that morning, Yamato had later called the manor to fill Naruto in on the location and times of both services, along with quickly instructing the former street rat on attire as well as the customs he would need to know. He had said that the wake and funeral had to take place as soon as possible, with the wake first, and the funeral the following day. And true to his word, all the arrangements for the two services had been made at blinding speed, only a few hours after Sasuke and Yamato had left Pierrepont.

Naruto let out another deep sigh and leaned back into the plush cushions. He thought back to that early that morning when he had put his arm around Sasuke's shoulder, bringing him upright as they both quietly listened to Yamato explain the details of the crash. The police had only left minutes earlier, leaving Yamato the task of reciting the report to them word for word, as they both stood stunned. But other than that first gentle contact, Naruto had kept his distance from Sasuke, not really knowing how to help or whether he should step in and try.

 _Sasuke paced to and from his closet, trying to hurriedly dress while Naruto sat on the edge of the bed, watching silently. He noticed how Sasuke didn't bother with a tie before slipping on his vest and buttoning it up. Feeling anxiousness welling up inside him, Naruto took in a deep breath._ "Sasuke -"

" _Make sure a notice is posted at the club. The guests need to be assured that we will open again next week," Sasuke said absentmindedly._

" _We don't have to open the club so soon. People will understand. They were your par -."_

" _Naruto, I need you here. Place the house on lockdown. Contact Konan and see how much we can push the timetable." Sasuke ran his hands through his hair. "Meet with her. Either here or in Chinatown."_

 _Naruto nodded._

" _And contact Orochimaru. I know," Sasuke added when he saw Naruto tense at the mention of the old snake's name. "I don't want you going to see him alone either. Use the telephone. Tell him the truth and don't let him keep you long on the phone. He'll only play games with you."_

" _I can do that."_

 _Sasuke pulled on his suit coat and buttoned the front. Naruto noted the detached look in his eyes and spoke up quietly. "I could also go with you. Ten or Juugo, even Gaara could handle -"_

" _No." Sasuke turned to face him. "With you here, I won't have to worry about keeping the house and everyone safe. Work with Ten. Juugo will follow your lead. I'll be back tomorrow. Arrangements ...have to be made." Sasuke voice drifted off._

But he didn't come back the next day or the day after that.

After agreeing to stay behind, Naruto stood by as Sasuke left with Yamato. He didn't miss the subtle change in Sasuke's gait or the way the young gangster had looked around as he stepped out the front door, seemingly unsure of his surroundings. Naruto could tell he was still in shock. His words, his demeanor, everything about the Uchiha had felt off and everything within Naruto screamed for him to not let him out of his sight. But given that Sasuke was still so obviously distraught, it didn't feel right pushing to try and change his mind. It was plain as day that Sasuke was still reeling from the news when he had left the manor and now, days later, Naruto had no idea how the young Uchiha was coping or if he was coping at all.

He looked again to the clock on the wall. It was now noon and still no sign of Sasuke. Naruto raked his hands through his hair. So much had happened in the past three days; the funeral services, news from Konan and Kakashi. Naruto tensed and a nauseous feeling washed through him… _and an unexpected visitor to boot._

Not able to sit still, he got up from the couch and walked to one of the bookcases. He eyed the books but paid no attention to them, instead letting his thoughts again drift to everything that had taken place these past few days. Naruto had hoped for a chance to speak to Sasuke at the funeral but with so many in attendance, he had held back.

The wake and funeral had been a whirlwind of black attire, formal bowing and a crash course in Japanese customs Naruto had never before then been privy to. The crew had shown up in shifts so as not to leave Pierrepont or the hotel completely unprotected and given that Naruto had been left in charge, he had set each of their schedules. Yamato had mentioned something about Sasuke not wanting to hold the services at the manor due to security issues and so in pairs of two, each of the crew members had gone to a local Japanese temple to pay their respects.

A noise near the library window caught Naruto's attention and he was pulled from his thoughts as he walked around the couch to take a look. Peering past the drapes, he saw Gaara righting a fallen planter out in the yard. Naruto smiled and then look out beyond the yard to the harbor.

The funeral had been somber. A few local politicians and even several high ranking policemen had showed up to pay their respects. Shop owners and even old man Teuchi had shown. It had touched Naruto deeply when, from a distance he watched as Teuchi, with tears in his eyes, stood in front of Sasuke and bowed low in reverence.

But it had been the sight of entire Uchiha clan and council that had given Naruto pause. Remembering the way the rumor of his and Sasuke's affair had burned through the boroughs, Naruto decided that keeping a respectful distance would probably be best. He would wait to speak with Sasuke after all was done.

From a corner of the temple Naruto had marked and watched the weariness in his lover's eyes as Sasuke bowed and greeted all who attended the services. Sasuke had looked despondent. Even with his usual stoic facade firmly in place, the blond noted each twitch, every sigh and though from an outwardly perspective, Sasuke appeared alright, Naruto knew better. The man was barely there.

It wasn't until after some of the hotel staff had made an appearance that Naruto saw Sasuke shift and wobble ever so slightly. _He's exhausted,_ he thought and glanced over at Yamato, hoping the man would find a way to force Sasuke to leave and take a break from all the endless funeral formality. Just when Naruto had decided he would risk an approach to try and get the damn stubborn gangster to listen to him and take a break, Madara and Obito had entered the temple. However, before the two Uchihas could make their way toward Sasuke, Naruto watched the younger lean in and whisper something in Yamato's ear before promptly excusing himself from the service. Naruto overheard Yamato telling Madara and his cousin that Sasuke was too overcome to continue and could no longer face the family or the local press that had shown up to cover the story.

Thinking back to when Sasuke had left the temple before having to face Madara made Naruto's anxiety spike. He bit his lip as he stared out the library window wondering if Madara seen through Sasuke's actions. Was he now suspicious that the young crime boss suspected him for ordering the hit on his parents? The blond felt the tension return to his forehead. _Was Madara responsible?_ All the signs pointed to yes. The two hitmen Shika had spotted. Everyone randomly showing up at the club. Hinata's warning. Naruto chewed on his lower lip and closed the drapes before walking again to the couch and dropping himself onto it.

The clock on the wall now showed it was almost one in the afternoon. The funeral had been yesterday, so why hadn't he returned? Naruto knew Sasuke was probably seeing to family arrangements or taking meetings with the council, yet still, he couldn't help but wish Sasuke would return home.

Naruto again glanced around at all the surrounding books and a smile lifted at the corner of his mouth when he remembered the poem Sasuke had recited for him just a few short days ago. His smile quickly faded as soon as he remembered how just a few short minutes after, Sasuke's world had come crashing down around them both. Naruto felt himself caught in an unusual place. Working for Sasuke while also being romantically involved with him had him feeling uncertain about how he was supposed to act.

When they had said their goodbyes that morning, Naruto was beside himself with worry and concern. First his brother and now both his parents were violently taken from him. The image of Sasuke slumping against the bedroom door flashed through Naruto's mind and he felt his chest tighten at the memory. So, what was his role supposed to be now? Was he supposed to be the caring boyfriend, comforting and understanding? Or was his duty still that which he was hired for? To do his job? Keep Pierrepont on lockdown, make sure the crew is safe and await Sasuke's next orders? Naruto leaned his head back against the couch. Why couldn't it be both? He wanted to fill Sasuke in on all that had taken place while he'd been away but he also wanted hold him close and tell him that even though he had no idea how, things would be okay and Naruto would stay until this whole mess was finished.

The pit of Naruto's stomach sank. They were already inching into August and that meant October was just around the corner. Sasuke had mentioned moving up their plans and Konan also agreed that waiting any longer might unknowingly give Madara the upper hand. But what if all this Madara businesses was finished before then? Should he and Gaara leave for California ahead of schedule or stay until October? Naruto closed his eyes. There was no doubt in his mind that staying until October would only make leaving that much harder but as he opened his eyes and looked to the clock again, all Naruto could think about was whether or not Sasuke was alright.

Where had the man stayed while he was away? In his parents' house, alone? The thought brought a cold shiver to Naruto and a deep throb pulsed against the back of his head. Naruto went through the list in his head. The day of the crash, Kakashi had come by only hours after Yamato had driven off with Sasuke. The next day had been the wake, with a phone call from Konan soon after, and then the funeral… followed by a visit from, Orochimaru. Another sick feeling burned through him at the memory. It was all too much. Naruto looked down at his right hand. There was a dull ache still running through it and his knuckles were a faint color of red. But it had been worth it, he thought and flexed his hand, easing the tightness.

One event after another had fallen in Naruto's lap and now he needed to talk to Sasuke to know his thoughts about moving up their plans so they could figure things out together. He wanted to talk to him about the news Kakashi had delivered as well as some interesting tidbits he learned from Orochimaru. _What on earth were you thinking, Sasuke?_ Naruto shook his head. So much to go over and discuss and yet, still no word or sign from the Uchiha gangster.

As the clock neared one thirty, Naruto thought back to when Kakashi had visited around the same time just three days ago. With Yamato and Sasuke gone, Naruto was left to figure out patrol rounds. Juugo and Tenten were busy closing the club and were on high alert at the hotel, which left Naruto, Gaara, Sasori and Sai monitoring the whole of Pierrepont. Gaara had near threatened Sakura to stay locked in the apartment below while they ran drills and did patrols and after some convincing she had reluctantly agreed.

 _The crew was finishing lunch when the front doorbell rang out. All four of them immediately gathered in the foyer, staring at one another and then at the door._

" _Should we get that?" Naruto asked._

" _And git yer fucking head blown off? Whaddya nuts?" Sasori shot back, shaking his head at Naruto._

 _Gaara stepped up to the door. "Or we could just look through the peephole and see who it is first." The rest of them stood back as Gaara had a look. "It's Kakashi," he turned and said to Naruto._

 _Naruto stepped up to the door and turned the lock. "Hey Kakashi," he greeted, and let the man in._

" _You boys are looking a tad skittish," Kakashi remarked as he scanned each of them over with his one good eye._

 _Naruto closed and locked the door behind him. "Gaara, in case we're being watched, we should do another round. I'll take the upstairs."_

 _The redhead nodded in agreement and Sasori slapped Sai on the back. "Shake a leg, pasty. I'll take the east wing an' meet'cha in the kitchen."_

 _Gaara took off toward the garage to exit from another side door so he could walk the perimeter of the house._

 _Naruto watched them all leave and then motioned for Kakashi to follow him. Walking back to the far end of the entryway, he began up the staircase. "Sasuke's not here. He left for his parents' house a few hours ago with Yamato."_

" _I know," he answered and Naruto paused, looking over at him. "Every cop in the station is talking about the crash. The chief of police is with Sasuke now, going over all the details and statements."_

" _Statements?" Naruto asked as he finally continued climbing up the steps. "Were there witnesses?"_

" _Only the couple who happened upon the car wreck. They were the ones who phoned the police. They said the car was already engulfed in flames by the time they got there."_

" _You believe them?" Naruto asked as he rounded the third floor railing. He didn't turn to meet Kakashi's gaze as he pulled a set of keys from his pocket. If he had, he would have caught the one eyed man staring intently at them._

" _I wasn't there when their statements were taken but I asked around and nothing so far connects them in any way to the clan or to the police department."_

 _Naruto abruptly turned to face him._

" _In case they happened to be on Madara's payroll." Kakashi said in response to Naruto's questioning eyes._

 _Naruto unlocked the door and both men entered Sasuke's private rooms. He reached for the light switches and led Kakashi into the large receiving room on the left._

" _Was it a car accident?" Naruto said in a low voice as he made his way to the large windows, checking each one thoroughly before moving on to the next. It didn't matter to him that they were on the third floor of the manor, everything needed to be checked and double-checked._

" _It looks like it," Kakashi answered, casting his eye thoughtfully at the blond. "But looks can be deceiving."_

 _Naruto finished with the last window and stopped. "Tell me."_

" _Once the call came through, the whole department was buzzing with the news. I raced down to the crash site and had a look for myself."_

" _What did you see?" Naruto asked._

 _Kakashi pulled out a cigarette but Naruto held up his hand. "Not here." He quickly walked passed him into the study and Kakashi followed him out the door leading to the veranda. Naruto opened the two nearest windows and unbuttoned his suit jacket before seat at the table. Kakashi took the chair on his left._

 _After lighting their cigarettes, the older man continued. "The car with both his parents inside crashed into the wall of a warehouse located just outside of lower Manhattan."_

 _A pair of blue eyes flicked up at him._

" _I thought the same thing. You might wanna contact your friends at the dock and find out if they were able to pick up any information off the streets." Kakashi took a hard drag and went on. "The crash looked convincing but once I was able to get a closer look without drawing too much attention to myself, I noticed several bullet holes along the driver's side of their Buick just above the running board."_

" _You think the cops will say it was a hit?" Naruto snuffed out his cigarette. His stomach was now turning and he no longer wanted the smoke._

" _I wouldn't hold your breath. With most of the cops and possibly the commissioner in Madara's pocket, it's doubtful the bullet holes I saw will end up in the police report." He took one last pull on his cig and crushed it out in the ashtray next to Naruto's._

" _So you're sure it was Madara." Naruto gave Kakashi a hollow stare._

" _The bullet holes suggest a hit and with the failed attempt on Sasuke's life and the incident at the docks with Itachi…"_

 _The blond nodded and got up. He knew Kakashi was waiting on him to respond but Naruto wasn't in the mood for more words. Instead, he quickly relocked the windows and walked them both back into the study. He stepped up to the heavy wooden door that led to Sasuke's bedroom and paused._

" _I can wait here if you like," Kakashi spoke up, not missing the reason for Naruto's apprehension._

" _It's fine," he muttered. "Just…"_

" _I wouldn't dream of telling him you and I were alone together in his bedroom." Kakashi cut in and Naruto threw him a wry look._

 _He turned the key and led Kakashi into the bedroom. Naruto had already seen to making sure the room was clean and had even changed the sheets himself; after a near hour long search of the house looking for where the linen was kept, that is._

 _Kakashi walked over to the couch in front of the fireplace and waited patiently while Naruto went about checking the room and the windows, trying to hurry so as to keep their stay short. He looked past where Kakashi was, and knew that the two rooms down that walkway had no windows or doors other than the large walkin closet and an entry to an even larger bathroom. He turned back to where Kakashi was waiting and noticed the man was putting on a very convincing act of someone who wasn't taking in every single detail of the room._

" _C'mon, we can finish talking downstairs." Naruto walked passed him and back to the bedroom door._

" _You're not going to check the pathway?" Kakashi asked and Naruto spun around._

" _What pathway?"_

 _Kakashi turned and walked back down the hallway and toward the doorway leading into Sasuke's closet and Naruto followed him. Once inside, he flicked on the light and Naruto watched as he went to the far back wall and pushed aside the clothing on the rack to reveal nothing more than ordinary wall paneling. Naruto was about to tell Kakashi that he had almost fallen for the ruse, when the man pushed his hand flat against the wall and Naruto heard a soft click right before a door swung out toward them, revealing a dark passageway just beyond._

" _There's a handle on the inside that lets you pull the door inward, releasing the spring that swings it open." Kakashi ducked under the clothes rack and went through the door. With his heart pounding, Naruto followed after him._

" _How did you know?" he asked Kakashi, but the man didn't reply. Instead he palmed the nearest wall, causing a light bulb overhead to turn on, and a low yellow haze filled the passage. "Itachi," Naruto finally said, but again, Kakashi didn't respond._

 _Only a few paces from the doorway were a set of steps leading down at a sharp angle to the right. "These run against the back wall of Pierrepont and let out just behind the tall hedges. You know where the lattice is?" Kakashi asked._

" _Lattice?"_

" _The wooden panels that look like fences running up the wall in the garden."_

 _Naruto slowly nodded, unable to pull his eyes away from the darkened stairwell._

" _Behind the large hedges in between the lattice, there's another door. It's barely recognizable but if you know what you're looking for, all you have to do is push aside the vines growing against the wall and you'll see the keyhole."_

 _Both men traveled down the steps and made sure the door at the bottom was locked. Naruto even opened it just to see with his own eyes, where it let out, quickly glancing around the empty yard and then shutting it after a moment, not wanting to risk being seen. Once it was locked and they were back at the top of the hidden pathway, they re-entered Sasuke's closet and shut the panel door._

 _Naruto moved the clothes back into place and then turned to face Kakashi. "You still have the key." There was no question in Naruto's tone and the older man looked back, regarding him._

" _I do," he said and reached into his pocket. "I wasn't planning on using it to spy, if that's what you're thinking," he said with a touch of humor in his voice and handed the key to Naruto._

 _Naruto took the key but said nothing. It wasn't exactly jealousy he was feeling. After all, he hadn't missed the fact that Kakashi had handed over the key without being asked, making him doubtful that the man had any intention of using it at all. The key hadn't been attached to a ring or on a chain of any kind, suggesting to Naruto that Kakashi had come already prepared to hand it over. A small smirk came to his face. Itachi's old boyfriend was no slouch._

 _After making sure the third floor rooms were locked up tight, Naruto led Kakashi down the stairs. The second floor was still new to him and having only entered the rooms there for the first time earlier that morning, he momentarily got lost trying to navigate his way through several of the connecting guest rooms. Once finding his way back, he led them into a workout room that was located at the far end of the manor. The training room had been a surprise when he originally found it and when he walked through it again with Kakashi, he couldn't help but think back to when he and Sasuke had lain in bed, talking about one day teaching Naruto how to use a katana._

" _This is a great sparring room. Have you had a chance to train here?" Kakashi glanced around, making it clear to Naruto that the one-eyed man had never been inside until now._

" _No. Not yet."_

 _Kakashi noted the tone in Naruto's voice but said nothing._

 _Finally finishing with the second floor, the two men reached the bottom staircase landing and Kakashi trailed after Naruto as they walked into the library. Each one took a couch and facing each other, they relaxed into the soft cushions._

 _Leaning back, Naruto scrubbed his face with his hands. First Kakashi confirmed the hit on Sasuke's parents and then he revealed a secret doorway leading to Sasuke's private bedroom. Naruto didn't know whether to be worried or pissed. Why hadn't Sasuke told him about the hidden pathway? And now that he knew about it, how would he ever be able to relax knowing there was a way for someone to get to Sasuke? Naruto's head began to pound._

" _It's a foot thick door, Naruto. No one's getting in without a key and if they tried, you'd hear them trying to knock the door down long before they even made it into the pathway."_

 _Naruto lowered his head and stared back at Kakashi's one eye. "It's only a matter of time until they try just that. With his parents out of the way, there will be no stopping Madara now. Our time table is shot to hell."_

" _Have you talked to the woman yet?"_

 _Naruto had gotten the okay from Sasuke to bring Kakashi in a few weeks ago. Even though the damn Uchiha would never admit it, he was beginning to trust the cop liaison and told Naruto it would be a good idea to keep Kakashi in the loop. "It's not even noon yet and Sasuke left only a few hours ago. Depending on when the funeral is, I was hoping to sneak away after and meet with her. Can you get a message to Shikamaru?"_

" _I'll go myself once I leave here. Any particular message?"_

" _Just let him know to leave word at the same place and that I'll meet with her on the day of the funeral." he said quietly. "Around late afternoon."_

 _Kakashi nodded. "Is it even possible to move the plans up?"_

" _I don't know. With the men we have now… I don't know."_

" _You think Sasuke needs a bigger crew?" Kakashi asked._

 _Naruto chewed on his bottom lip. "I know he was thinking about it… before… all this. But now how could he without drawing attention to himself? If Sasuke suddenly starts increasing his muscle, Madara isn't stupid. He'll see it for what it is immediately."_

" _There are ways to hire the kind of men Sasuke needs without Madara or Obito finding out."_

 _Naruto steadied his gaze at Kakashi. "You know these kind of men?"_

" _I know where to find them." Suddenly the white-haired man pulled off his fedora and stood up. "Please give my respects to Sasuke. I know he'll understand why I won't be able to show up at the funeral. With everything coming to a head, it would be best if kept my distance from here on out." He placed his hat back on his head and Naruto stood up to show him out._

 _As they reached the foyer, Naruto paused and turned to him. "You kept your word. Why risk so much to continue to help us?"_

 _Kakashi tipped his hat up and stared back at the blond, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Itachi entrusted me with the task of watching over his brother. If you knew the man, you'd know that Uchiha Itachi didn't ask for favors; the man never asked anything of anyone." Kakashi glanced down thoughtfully and then back up at Naruto. "I am bound by my loyalty to him to see this through to the end."_

 _Naruto stood quietly and then pulled his shoulders back as he held out his hand. "Thank you, Kakashi. I'll give Sasuke your regards." He gave the man a firm shake and small grateful smile. The white-haired man, nodded and smiled back. "How will I be able to reach you?" Naruto asked._

" _If it's urgent, you can call the gym. Tell them you're from the precinct and that I'm needed. No one at the department knows about that place. I'll know it's you and find you."_

 _Naruto opened the front door. "Thanks again and let me know if you find the kind of men we'll need."_

 _The two men exchanged a look. Kakashi then pulled his hat down, turned up the collar on his trench coat and walked out._

* * *

Naruto looked again at the clock on the library wall. The sinking feeling in his stomach told him that in all likelihood, Sasuke wouldn't return to Pierrepont today either. Should he drive to the club and see if he's staying there? But if he is and didn't tell Naruto? That would mean he wanted to be alone and shouldn't Naruto respect that? Did Sasuke want to be alone right now? Should he be alone?

Another dull ache throbbed along the temples of Naruto's head. Sasuke had given him the keys to his private rooms before he left. A silent understanding that Naruto could come and go as he pleased but with doubt still flooding his mind, he wondered if waiting in Sasuke's bedroom was the right thing to do. Of course it would help ease his anxiousness but it could also complicate matters as well. After all, Sasuke had yet to return home or even contact Naruto since he left. At the wake and the funeral, only the traditional bows and a quick acknowledgement had been exchanged between them. Was Naruto supposed to take that as a sign to keep his distance? Goddamn how he hated all these mixed signals.

It didn't matter whether Naruto was mixed up with a woman or a man, it seemed. They were all the same. One minute they never want you to leave their side and the next they were building up their walls to keep you out. Konan and Sasuke had more in common than they knew. He let out a long strained yawn and let his mind think back to Konan's telephone call. She had been surprisingly gentle and more than accommodating in regards to what Sasuke was going through and Naruto had appreciated it. He had planned to meet with her on the day of the funeral, but when he had returned to Pierrepont after the wake, the phone had rung out and it had been Konan on the other end of the line.

" _I got your message but thought a phone call would be better than meeting in person."_

" _Why? What's happened?" Naruto asked, suddenly worried._

" _Calm down, Naru. I just think that given the current circumstances, we should give Sasuke some time before going over any changes to our plan. He just lost his parents… I'm sure he's… well, what I mean is, there's no way we could plan anything without him. You know as well as I do, only Sasuke will be able to provide the info we need. And we'll need to know exactly where things stand before we plan our next move."_

" _I don't know how much information he'd be able to give us just yet. Madara and Obito didn't show up to the wake," Naruto said._

" _But they will probably be at the funeral and he'll soon be meeting with the Council. Sasuke is our key to determining just how much we'll need to push our plans."_

" _So you don't think we should wait to strike?" Naruto asked but not really wanting to hear the answer._

" _I think if we wait too much longer, Madara will gain the upper hand. The hitmen that are in town? All the major players showing up at the club right before brazenly taking out Sasuke's parents? The man is making his move and I like our chances if we strike first. Staying a step ahead will keep us from finding our backs to the wall."_

 _Naruto let out a sigh. "You're probably right," he said. "Look Konan, I won't deny that we need you on this but... things are getting more dangerous. Are you up for this?"_

 _A brief silence followed. "I've been working toward this for a long time. With us this close to taking out Madara once and for all, I'm in this 'til the end."_

" _Yeah." Despite his relief that she wasn't about to back out now, Naruto couldn't help but worry._

" _Don't do that, Naru."_

" _What? What am I doing?"_

" _You didn't bring me into this. I sought you out, remember? I was in this long before you joined up with Sasuke and have just as much, if not more, of a personal stake in this as you do."_

" _It's only going to get worse from here on out," Naruto said quietly._

" _I know. But I made my choice long ago. Are you sure you're in this to the end? I know you care for Sasuke but is he really worth risking your life for?"_

 _Naruto leaned against the nearby sofa. "We're all bound by the ties that bind us," he finally said. "You have the memory of your brother, Sasuke has his family and…" Naruto's voice trailed off. What could he say? Even though his and Sasuke's time together would soon approaching its end, Naruto knew without a doubt that he was now and would forever be bound to Sasuke. Still, declaring his love for the stubborn gangster was not something he was ready to do just yet. Especially not to his one time girlfriend._

" _Uchiha Sasuke is a lucky man," Konan said quietly._

 _Grateful he was alone in the first floor study, Naruto blushed. "Konan -"_

" _It's not a good idea to keep risking phone calls from here on out, Naru. If I need to reach you, I'll send word to you at the hotel."_

 _Naruto caught the change in subject and went along. "Good idea. Thanks, Konan."_

" _Thank me when this is all over and Madara is no more. Just take care of yourself, Naruto." Konan's voice went soft and Naruto immediately recognized the tenderness in her tone. "I know I don't have the right anymore, but I do worry about you."_

" _I'll be fine," Naruto said abruptly, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "We're all gonna make it through this." He intended for his words to come out confident but couldn't seem to keep the tinge of worry from his voice._

" _Send word through Shika if you need me and I'll reach you at the hotel if necessary."_

" _Yeah," he said and heard the soft click on the other end of the line._

* * *

Not able to resist the urge, Naruto again looked over at the clock on the wall. _Almost two._ Naruto's gut twisted. Sitting alone in the library was only making him more agitated. Kakashi, Konan and then Orochimaru. How was he going to be able to tell Sasuke everything that had happened? The man was most likely still reeling from the loss of his parents and here Naruto was waiting to bombard him with even more problems and endless questions as soon as came through the door.

Naruto couldn't stand it anymore. He got up from the couch and headed to the kitchen. Maybe something to eat would help settle his nerves.

"Hey, Naru."

As soon as he entered the kitchen, he saw Gaara was already sitting at the table. The redhead was working on a sandwich and cast his eyes up at his best friend's approach.

"Hey."

Gaara eyed the blond. "Have you slept at all?" He asked as Naruto sat down across from him.

"Some. I thought maybe a bite to eat might help."

Gaara chewed his food slow and then swallowed, still intently watching Naruto. "Despite popular opinion, sleep helps lack of sleep, not food."

"Hardee har-har." Naruto leaned forward and rested his head in his hands. "You don't think I've tried? I just toss and turn and then when I can't toss and turn anymore, I come up here and do a walkthrough."

Gaara put down his sandwich. "Go upstairs and get some rest. We'll take care of the house."

Naruto lifted his head and stared back at his friend.

"It's the only place you're gonna get any rest and you know it. You're no good to us this way anyhow. We need you sharp."

"But what about -"

"We'll pick up the slack." Gaara cut in. "Naru, go on. It's alright, really."

Naruto rubbed at the tension on back of his neck and then looked down at Gaara's sandwich.

"Go ahead." Gaara grumbled. "Take it."

A sly grin spread across Naruto's face as he grabbed up the sandwich and pushed away from the table.

"Asshole," Gaara said under his breath.

"You a 'ood 'end, Gaar," Naruto said with his mouth full. "Rerry the 'est." Grinning ear to ear, he greedily shoved another bite into his mouth before walking out and back into the manor. He swallowed each enormous bite down as he climbed the staircase to the third floor. Once he reached Sasuke's door, he pushed the last bite into his mouth and pulled out his keys.

The rooms beyond the doorway were quiet and still. He locked the door behind him and peered into the large sitting room on the left and then let his eyes wander over to the veranda entrance. He had remembered to clean up the cigarette butts he and Kakashi had left and to open the windows for a bit, letting out any remaining smell that might have lingered. It wasn't like he was trying to hide anything from Sasuke but with so much weight already heavy on his shoulders, Naruto thought it would be a good idea to personally tell him about Kakashi's visit rather than leave behind evidence that might push the Uchiha's jealous-laced imagination toward the wrong idea.

Unlocking the bedroom door, Naruto went inside. He made his way to the red couch and already feeling some of his anxiety lifting from him, slipped off his shoes. There was no way he would miss Sasuke's return to Pierrepont in here, he thought and pulled his dress shirt over his head and off. He laid it over the back of the couch and walked to Sasuke's closet. He flicked on the light and cast his eyes to where he secret panel was, letting his gaze briefly linger there. He then walked to the other end of the closet and thumbed through some of the folded cotton pants Sasuke had stacked in order of color.

A smirk tugged at his mouth as he thought about what kind of man would needed such formality for his sleepwear. He carefully pulled out a pair of drawstring pants and undid the slacks he was wearing as he walked back to the velvet couch. Laying his dress pants next to his shirt he slipped on the pair he took from the closet and walked to the bed. The bright light of afternoon shone through the large windows behind the bed and Naruto stepped up close to the glass, taking in the view. He looked down at the yard below and clenched his jaw. Even if he held back from overwhelming Sasuke with all the things that took place while he'd be gone, he'd have to find a way to talk to him about Orochimaru's visit.

Lifting his eyes to the harbor beyond, he raised his hand, covering his eyes from the glare, and scanned the water. When he let his hand fall to his side, he felt his body already giving into the heaviness of exhaustion. And by the time he climbed into bed and pulled the covers over him, his eyes were having a hard time staying open and he immediately, felt sleep beginning to claim him. Even with clean sheets, Naruto could still make out the scent Sasuke in them and he dug his face into the soft cool pillows as his mind ticked off thoughts of worry and concern. With his face buried in one pillow and his arms tightly clutching another, Naruto finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Sasuke."

"Give me the spare you have to my room." Sasuke said again and held out his hand to Yamato as the garage door closed behind them.

"Give me the bottle and I'll give you the key," Yamato answered and reached for the whiskey bottle Sasuke was clutching in his other hand.

Sasuke held the bottle out of reach and took a step toward the older man. "Give me the key or I will take it from you," he said without breaking his gaze.

Yamato held his glare and pulled the keys from his pocket. Finally looking down, he worked the spare off his set and placed it into Sasuke's waiting hand.

Without another word Sasuke started up the stairs and Yamato watched from the bottom landing as Sasuke drunkenly swayed before righting himself as he reached the second floor.

It took four tries before Sasuke was able to unlock the door on the third floor. Once inside he turned to the right and reaching for the doorknob to his bedroom, he found it unlocked. _Naruto,_ he thought and licked his lips.

Sasuke pushed open the door and took a swig off the whiskey in his hand. He wiped his mouth on his shirt sleeve and immediately, his eyes hungrily took in the sight of Naruto fast asleep in his bed. It was late in the afternoon but the light from the windows was still bright enough for him to appreciate every shadow of Naruto's smooth tan skin.

The covers had been kicked off as if the blond had been tossing and turning. With Naruto now sprawled out and on his back, Sasuke's eyes slowly trailed down his bare chest to the pair of drawstrings he was wearing. A low stirring came to Sasuke's dick as he recognized the pants for his own. _The damn blond,_ he thought and took another drink. Even with all that had happened, one look at Naruto had Sasuke coming out of his skin to touch him… taste him. Claim him.

Not taking his eyes off the blond, he kicked off his shoes and walked to his nightstand. He then set down the whiskey bottle along with his pocketwatch and keys. Peeling off his vest, he undid his cuffs and pulled off his shirt, mindlessly tossing it to the floor. Feeling the room start to spin, Sasuke leaned against the wall behind him and placed his left hand on the nightstand to steady himself. Straight ahead was Naruto, still sound asleep.

Naruto's chiseled frame rose and fell with each breath and as Sasuke watched him, he couldn't stop his hand from finding its way to the front of his slacks. Through the material, he slowly teased his growing erection as his other hand fumbled with his belt. God how Naruto made him ache with need. Even sleep couldn't quell the fire that lit the damn blond from within. He was everything Sasuke wasn't. Everything Sasuke told himself he could never be.

A crease formed on his brow and with the help of the booze, he easily pushed those thoughts away. Sliding his belt off, he let his slacks drop to the floor. Hazed, he turned to his nightstand and stared at it. Then opening the drawer, he pulled out the small jar he knew he'd need, tossed it onto the bed and took one more hard drink from the bottle. Stepping out of his slacks, he took hold of his length. Now free of his pants, he groaned at the wet heat of his cock. With it steadily dripping, he palmed the head, and stroked himself slow, using the slickness for lubricant.

This was the distraction he needed. Sasuke didn't want to think anymore. He was tired. Tired of the police and the press. Tired of questions and suspicions and the goddamn paranoia that surrounded him… Tired of the sorrow. With Naruto he didn't have to hold back. With Naruto, Sasuke could finally shut out the pain of the outside world. Letting his dripping cock slip from his hand, Sasuke climbed onto the bed and crawled toward the sleeping blond.

Easily settling himself between Naruto's legs, Sasuke gently tugged free the tie on his pants. He placed his hands on either side of Naruto hips and lowered himself down to tease the flat plane of Naruto's stomach with his mouth. The skin was hot and Sasuke closed his eyes at the heat against his lips. _Always so deliciously warm._ Sasuke let out a low hum and moved his lips lower. Over the fabric, he kissed the bulge he found there, and used his tongue to trace the faint outline of Naruto's cock. As he felt the blond begin to stir, Sasuke cast his eyes up.

A soft noise escaped Naruto's lips. "Nnnnnngg…"

As far as Sasuke could tell, the blond was still asleep. Yet as he continued his light assault to Naruto's dick, he could see the length twitching and growing hard, clearly responding to his actions. Pressing his face harder into Naruto's groin, he opened his mouth wide, teasing and nipping through the soft cotton material at the now almost fully erect cock.

"Saa...suke…" Naruto murmured and the young Uchiha smiled. Not being able to hold back any longer, Sasuke sat up and yanked Naruto's pants down forcefully. Throwing them aside he barely noticed the pair of blue eyes squinting open and looking down at him right before he swallowed Naruto's dick all the way to the base.

"Oh shit, Sasuke!" Naruto's whole body seized and a high pitched whine fell from his lips. "Where have you... ugh God… what're...nnnngg…" Rolling back his eyes as Sasuke furiously sucked him off, Naruto reached down and gripped his lover's dark hair. The sleep was fading but the aggressiveness of Sasuke's feeding was already too much and he felt his orgasm close. "Fuck Sasuke, you're gonna make me cum."

Naruto's words were Sasuke's cue. He pulled back and reached for the jar, hastily coating his fingers and his length with the gel. God, he was so hard he could barely think straight as he moved forward, trailing bites up Naruto's waist and chest. Not able to resist, he pushed two fingers, hard into Naruto's tight opening, and lifted his eyes to the dark blue ones now wide awake.

The blond arched and then relaxed into the intrusion. Again Naruto rolled his eyes back. The lack of gentleness was turning him on like never before. He encircled his arms around Sasuke's neck. He wanted to ask if Sasuke was okay and find out where he'd been, but as a third finger was shoved into him, all thoughts were wiped from his mind. "Enough, fuck me now." he gritted out, staring straight into the black depths of Sasuke's eyes.

Just as the prodding fingers left him, Naruto noticed the dull haze in his lover's eyes. _Was Sasuke drunk?_

"Sas-" But his words were cut off as the gangster slammed the full length of his cock into him. Naruto threw back his head and screamed. "Oh God, Sasuke!"

Hooking his arms underneath each of Naruto's knees, Sasuke pushed forward, bending Naruto almost in half as he thrust into him, over and over. Groaning and panting, Sasuke was delirious. The sounds of pleasure coming from Naruto mixed with constricted heat of if his ass, drove him wild. He pounded into him, frantic and mad for release.

Naruto's mind was gone. Gripping Sasuke's arms, he tried to focus on the strong scent of booze that was permeating off of him but could only moan and cry out as he was being driven into deeper than ever before. Sasuke was thrusting wildly into him with wicked pace and though Naruto couldn't seem to reach in between them to stroke himself off, he felt his climax racing toward him. Just then, Sasuke clumsily grabbed Naruto's cock and got off two awkward strokes before Naruto yelled out.

"Oh fuck!" Naruto came, shuddering against Sasuke, eyes squeezed shut as half sobs poured from him.

" _Please… Naruto!"_ Sasuke's voice begged as he too came hard, filling Naruto with his release.

Moaning at the exquisite feel of Sasuke's seed flowing into him, Naruto finally opened his eyes and looked at the now flushed face of his lover. Immediately his chest tightened at the sight. "Sasuke."

The Uchiha looked torn. Though sated, a deep sorrow shone in his eyes as he stared back at Naruto.

Sasuke took one look at the concern on Naruto's face and hitched in a breath. Before the emotion could take hold, he quickly rolled himself off and stared up at the ceiling, still panting from his overexertion.

After Yamato had broken the news to him, Sasuke vowed he would never shed a tear over the loss of his parents. His promise had nothing whatsoever to do with his love for them but more for the act that took them from him. Madara, Obito… he refused to let them break him. But as he lay on his bed, still spinning from his orgasm and the booze, again the overwhelming presence of Naruto had almost pushed Sasuke too far. The blond seemed to always be able to cut through and make Sasuke feel hopelessly vulnerable. And Sasuke, still drunk and wanting nothing more than mindless physical distraction, defiantly rejected it.

Naruto moved toward him but Sasuke rolled onto his side and faced the wall. With his emotions too close to the surface, he needed a moment to regroup.

Hurt flashed across Naruto's face and he worked to swallow down the lump in his throat. He moved back and stared at the soft pale back of his lover.

He shook the feeling of rejection away. _He's hurting,_ he thought to himself and took in a deep breath, trying to understand why the man would choose to be alone in his pain rather than in the arms of someone who cares.

Forcing himself to not think too hard about it, and wanting to give Sasuke the time he needed, he reached down to where the bed covers had bunched up and pulled them up. Covering Sasuke, he spoke low. "I'm gonna wash up."

Even though Sasuke's back was to him, Naruto gave him a soft smile. When he got up from the bed, he noticed the near empty whiskey bottle on the nightstand. Glancing back to Sasuke, a soft pang went through him. The young Uchiha was wasted and in his dazed drunken state, had sought out solace in Naruto.

Sasuke heard Naruto softly pad across the floor toward the washroom. He hadn't meant to brush him off the way he did but when Naruto had looked at him with such open kindness, the hollow ache in Sasuke's chest had been too much for him to bear.

The sound of the bath being turned on tempted him, but he resisted. The room had begun to spin as his body cooled and his drunkenness again washed through him. Sasuke closed his eyes and decided a quick nap to try and sober up was what was needed. Then he'd be able to face the blond; once he had better control over himself, they could talk. Yes, he thought… later. Later he and Naruto would... and before he could finish the thought, Sasuke slipped into a deep dreamless sleep.

* * *

A painful pulsating ache shot through Sasuke's head the second he opened his eyes. He brought both hands to his face and took hold of his head. Squinting from the pain, he sat up and looked around his dim lit bedroom. The clock on his nightstand read a little after nine in the evening and at second glance, he noticed the pitcher of water and cup right next to it.

Vaguely Sasuke remembered coming home to find Naruto in his bed but couldn't recall too much else. Had he been that drunk? He pulled off the covers and immediately cringed at the pain that shot through his head from the sudden movement. He saw he was naked and felt relief wash through him when he realized he wasn't sticky or worse from his forgotten drunken escapades. _Naruto._

A quick look to his right told him Naruto had not slept in the bed. Feeling irritated by the sight of the cold spot next to him, Sasuke took in his surroundings. The room was quiet. He didn't hear the bath running or any other sound. Then he saw it. The couch far down in front had Naruto's dress shirt and slacks hanging lazily off the back. Instead of satisfaction, a feeling of frustration built up inside of him. _Is Naruto sleeping in another room?_

With his head pounding, Sasuke got up and went to where the water was left for him. He drank off an entire glass and then walked to his closet. There was no escaping the hard pounding in his head as he walked into his closet and reached for a pair of drawstring pants. Sasuke paused. A faint memory of Naruto wearing a similar pair flashed before his eyes and the Uchiha tried to pull a clearer picture from his mind to no avail. Shaking the vision away, Sasuke slipped on the pants and went to find where the damn blond had disappeared to.

He barely reached the door to the study before he noticed it was slightly ajar. Sasuke pushed the door and instantly a cool breeze wafted over him causing him to look to the veranda entrance, and that was when he saw that not only was the door open, but in the window off to the right, a tuft of blond hair could be seen peeking over the windowsill. He watched as the blond head of hair shifted and then stood up slow, looking out at the harbor. Naruto then lifted his arms over his head to stretch, and Sasuke curiously eyed the new corduroys and sleeveless top the blond was wearing. Moving up slow behind him, Sasuke took hold of Naruto's hips and smirked at the way Naruto jumped and then right away relaxed to his touch.

"Heh, you're awake."

"And you're not in bed," Sasuke answered and pressed himself against Naruto.

"Couldn't sleep. How're you feeling?"

Sasuke heard the tentativeness in his voice and stilled. "Come to bed and I'll show you."

"Sasuke."

Bothered by Naruto's prodding tone, Sasuke dropped his hands from Naruto's hips and moved away. "Did you meet with Konan?"

Not missing Sasuke's irritated tone, Naruto turned to face him but the gangster had already started back to his bedroom. Naruto followed him and felt a slight uneasiness begin to settle around them.

"I talked to her on the telephone," he said, moving close to the red sofa.

"Why didn't you meet with her?" Sasuke's head was still throbbing so he again went to his bedside table and poured himself another glass of water.

"I was going meet with her after the funeral but -"

"Why didn't you?" Sasuke snapped back after swallowing down the water. "I left you in charge to see to the things that needed to be seen to."

"Sasuke… she called me after the wake and told me we should wait for you before trying to make any plans to move forward," Naruto replied. As he watched Sasuke rummage through the nightstand drawer, looking for something and becoming more and more irritated at not finding it, worry filled him.

The sound of Sasuke slamming the drawer shut rang throughout the quiet room causing Naruto to flinch.

Sasuke turned and faced the blond. "What else?"

"Kakashi came by the house to offer his condolences," Naruto said in a low voice and tucked his hands into his pockets.

" _Kakashi._ Of course. Still can't stay away from that white haired buffoon, can you?"

"Sasuke, stop this -"

"Well? What did he say?"

"Sasuke."

"What the fuck did he say, Naruto?"

The tension was building fast and Naruto knew there would be no way to stop the moment from escalating. It didn't take a genius to see the pain hiding amongst the anger in Sasuke's eyes. He took in a slow breath, readying himself as he forced out his words. "He had information about the accident. Saying the crash was definitely a hit and that all signs point to Madara."

"It _was_ Madara," Sasuke growled.

"It's looks like it but we need to be sure."

"What do you mean, _need to be sure?_ " Sasuke clenched his hands into fists and stood gaping at Naruto. "He took out my brother and tried to take me out and when he couldn't do that, he went after my parents!"

Sasuke looked to the floor and bent down grabbing at the vest he had been wearing when he arrived home earlier and a sudden memory of watching Naruto sleeping in his bed passed through him. Shoving the image aside, he pulled his cigarettes from his pocket and turned his attention back to Naruto.

"That's why they were at the club, Naruto! All of them!" Sasuke lit the cigarette in his mouth and tossed the pack and matches onto the table. "They wanted me to see them so they would have a fucking alibi on the night of my parents death." he added as he blew out a long train of smoke. "Even Orochimaru," Sasuke mumbled low. "For all I know he's in this as well. I'll skin that fucking snake alive for this."

Naruto watched Sasuke turn and stare out the window to the city skyline. Deciding it was always best to face the devil head on rather than cower, he took a step closer. "After the funeral, Orochimaru -"

"We're going after Madara. Tonight if we have to," Sasuke said and then slowly turned to face him.

"Sasuke it's too soon!" Naruto took another step closer and tried to push back the urgency in his voice. "We… we need to be sure. Kakashi said -"

"Kakashi said? I don't give a fuck what that man said! We need to hit Madara now!"

"And what if it wasn't Madara?" What if it was Neji? You said yourself that Madara was afraid the Hyuga would double-cross him. What if Neji put out the hit to get you to take Madara out for him?"

"I don't care!"

"What if it was Orochimaru? He shows up to give you some half-baked riddle about knowing why the hitmen didn't show up at the club! What if he's the one playing you? What if he's playing all the clans against each other so the whole of Brooklyn could be his?"

"Then I'll kill them all!" Sasuke slammed his fist down onto the end table, smashing his cigarette. "I've had to have my own brother's murderer sit in _my_ nightclub, eating and drinking on _my fucking dime_ all the while resisting the urge to stick my blade through his goddamn motherfucking eyes!" The glowing rage that was coming off Sasuke filled the room. "I will not stop until each one of them is dead by my own hands!"

"Sasuke you can't go around killing everyone you suspect, we need proof! We can -"

"I'm a fucking mob boss Naruto! What the fuck did you think you would be doing for me when you joined the clan! Lifting cases of booze from the local grocers? Boosting appliance delivery trucks!"

"How did you -"

"Jesus fucking Christ are we back to that, Naruto?" Sasuke grabbed again for the pack of smokes. "Of course I knew about your run-in with the Chinese! I'm a powerful figure in a goddamn Japanese crime family! Did you honestly think I would offer you a job without knowing anything about you? I thought you said you weren't some stupid thug off the street!"

Naruto flinched at the slight but he did his best to push it away. "Sasuke, I know what you're -"

"And you joined this clan knowing who I am and what I do! And If I say we kill them all, then I expect you to fucking obey!" Sasuke crushed the cigarette pack in his hand and threw it aside.

Naruto held his stare and his ground. "I will never be okay with killing people on your whim. All I'm asking is that we be sure."

Ignoring him, Sasuke pushed harder. "What the fuck did you think this job would be? What did you think I meant when I said I wanted your help to find whoever put a hit on me and take them out? That I sit down to coffee with them? Get them to agree to please be nice to me?"

"Please, Sasuke. Don't do this. I know you're -"

"I get it." Not missing a beat, Sasuke strode toward Naruto and got in his face. "You think you're better than me. You don't wanna get your hands dirty, afraid you might sink to my level." Sasuke's words cut through the air.

"You know that's not true." Naruto's heart was now racing. There was no getting out of this. He knew the damn Uchiha would rather cut off his own hands than extend one of them for help and he braced himself the worst. "Sasuke…"

"You don't want to want to help me avenge my family even though you know it's the right thing to do?" Sasuke's eyes burned into Naruto's, his voice low and snide. "Then get the fuck out."

It was the quiet assuredness in Sasuke's tone that stabbed through Naruto. He drew his brows together as he started at his lover, not knowing what he could say that would make this moment end. Panic gripped him.

But Sasuke was not moved. "Take the redhead and Sakura too, for all I care, and go. Leave for your fucking California promised land now. Today."

Naruto opened his mouth but the Uchiha was quicker.

"GET OUT!"

Sasuke's words thundered throughout the bedroom.

Naruto didn't recoil from the gangster but he did his best to control the adrenaline rushing through him. Not saying a word, he turned from Sasuke and walked to the red velvet couch. His legs felt heavy as he reached down and picked up his boots. Careful not to stumble or break his composure, Naruto made his way to the bedroom door and walked out without looking back.

* * *

Opening his eyes, Naruto stared at the ceiling of his room. Last night he had fought the urge to get filthy drunk after Sasuke had thrown him out of his bedroom or more accurately, after he had thrown Naruto out of Pierrepont.

He had paced around his apartment all night, wondering if he should begin packing or if somehow Sasuke would come to his senses and tell him he was sorry and wasn't throwing him out. When midnight came and went without Yamato appearing at the apartment door to send him packing, Naruto figured he had bought himself time and would be able to decide just what to do about the whole situation come morning.

Now, lying in bed, he let out a heavy sigh. The hollow feeling in his chest should have felt light but instead, Naruto felt as if he was being crushed by some unseen boulder. Nothing had prepared for him for what had happened. He knew Sasuke was in pain. He knew the young gangster was drowning and probably felt there was no one left to offer a hand. The loss of his parents had sent the young Uchiha into a spiral, so it was only fitting that, once unleashed, Naruto would be the target of his pain. Because there was no one else, was there? There was no left in Sasuke's life for him to turn to, to take comfort in… to trust. _And we always hurt the ones closest to us, don't we_?

Naruto scrubbed his hands over his face and raked his fingers through his hair. He had to go back and try again. It didn't matter if Sasuke ordered Yamato and the rest of the crew to personally throw Naruto out onto the street, he had to at least try one more time to reach Sasuke. _He didn't mean it,_ his mind whispered and even though Naruto had suspected as much, a small nagging doubt remained. It was the same doubt that pestered him whenever he would reach out for Sasuke and hold his breath, hoping and waiting for the Uchiha to reach back.

Still groggy, Naruto climbed out of bed and headed to the shower. He had tossed and turned and now with the arrival of morning he was determined to see through the decision he made sometime during the early hours before daylight. Make Sasuke listen. Don't back down this time.

He turned on the bathtub faucet and stripped down as the water warmed. Last night he hadn't wanted to push Sasuke. He knew the loss of his parents had shaken him to his core and Naruto didn't want to be the one to take the man to his breaking point but now after the way their fight had played out, Naruto was positive that the situation needed a heavy hand. There was no way he was going to let Sasuke drive himself further into the darkness just so he could hide there alone, forever angry at the world.

The water was soothing as Naruto stepped into the tub. He pulled the lever, turning on the overhead spray and then grabbed the bar of soap. As he washed himself, his mind played over all the scenarios he had come up with during hours he had lain awake in bed.

Of all the scenes, the one that bothered him the most was the one that seemed most likely. Trading fists with Uchiha Sasuke was not something Naruto wanted to do. But as he moved his head under the shower to rinse out the soap, he knew the bastard would never acquiesce without a fight. Naruto had already experienced that first hand back when smug asshole had offered him up to the Hyuga.

Making quick work of his wash and shutting the water off, Naruto knew that if beating some sense into Sasuke was what it took, then he'd have to see it done. Water from his hair dripped down his back and he reached for the towel on the nearby shelf. He scrubbed his hair with it and then wrapped it around his waist. Snatching up his clothes, he hurried to his room and began to dress.

Over his shoulder, the bedroom clock read 7:45. Maybe I can catch him before he wakes, Naruto thought and smiled at the memory of the way Sasuke had woken him up with a very enthusiastic blowjob. A soft sigh left him when he also remembered how drunk and lost the man had looked right before he had turned away, trying to hide his pain from Naruto.

With determination flooding him, Naruto looked to all the dirty clothes littering the floor of his room and made up his mind. He took the laundry bag from his closet and began stuffing it. _I can drop this off in the laundry on my way to Sasuke's room._ _And,_ he continued, _tell him I was just finishing up packing, if he asks._ Satisfied with his questionable plan, he stuffed the last of his boxers into the bag, when suddenly he heard a distant knock at the apartment door. Wondering if Gaara had somehow locked himself out, he went to open his bedroom door, and instead froze when he heard Gaara's voice float down the hall.

"Sasuke. Come in."

"Thank you." Sasuke stepped into the apartment and immediately adjusted his cufflinks. "Is Naruto here?"

"Hey."

Sasuke's eyes slid to the left and saw the blond standing in the hallway. He dropped his gaze to the overstuffed laundry bag at his feet and then looked back up at Naruto.

"I just got back from night rounds, so I'm gonna head back to bed." Gaara walked away and didn't bother trying to catch Naruto's attention as he passed and went into his room, closing the door behind him.

"I realized… later," Sasuke said quietly, "… that we didn't discuss what day the meeting with Konan is scheduled for."

Naruto took a step closer, dragging the laundry bag with him. "No, we didn't discuss that."

"Did she set a day and time?"

Naruto shook his head slow and Sasuke nodded in return.

Sasuke new coming to Naruto was important, especially after the scene he made last night. When Naruto had left his room Sasuke had been out of his mind with rage and desperation. Not allowing himself to grieve for his parents had caused an emotional volcano to swell inside him and it was Naruto's genuine concern for him that had set off the awful chain of events. His compassionate tone, the gentleness of his eyes. Sasuke didn't want to feel vulnerable. What he wanted was to get drunk and fuck all day and night, until the pain in his chest faded into a low dull ache instead of the razor-sharp agony he was drowning in now.

The eruption had been monstrous, leaving Sasuke alone in his room and lost in an unfamiliar fog of shame.

"She said we shouldn't make a move without your input." Naruto spoke up, wanting to break the tension. "And I agreed."

"We should probably discuss when would be the best time to meet."

"Yeah. And…" Naruto hesitated but figured, if this was Sasuke's attempt at an apology, then he should just lay it all out. "We should also discuss Orochimaru's visit two days ago."

Sasuke straightened up. "He came here? What happened? What did he say?"

"Well… heh, if it's alright, with you, I mean. I'd rather not talk about it here." Naruto's hand went to the back of his head and he turned to the side indicating the room where Gaara was sleeping. Just then a thought occurred to him and he shot a glance to the living room couch. _Where was Sakura?_

"Looks like the redhead finally got the girl."

Naruto's shocked look caused Sasuke to twitch his lips. Then remembering himself, he pulled the smirk back and pushed his hands into his pants pockets. "We can talk over breakfast. Yamato is working on some eggs benedict in the kitchen. I can have him send it up to my room… unless you'd rather eat down -"

"I'd like that. Breakfast. With you upstairs, I mean," Naruto said, tilting his head and letting his mouth lift at the corner. He could tell this whole conversation was agonizing for the Uchiha and saw no reason to keep torturing the bastard.

Feeling relieved, Sasuke nodded and then eyed the laundry bag still in Naruto's grip.

"I was taking it to the laundry. Before I…"

"We should go upstairs and talk," Sasuke said in a low voice.

Naruto leaned the clothes bag against the wall. "Hang on a second," he told him and disappeared into his room. Moments later he came back out wearing his holster and gun. "We're still on lockdown," he said and tugged at the strap.

Sasuke lifted his brows at the sight of Naruto wearing his piece while dressed in cords and muscle shirt. Again, he felt his lips twitch in a desire to grin.

Missing the look on Sasuke's face, Naruto moved to where his boots were and slipped them on. Standing back up, he faced Sasuke and jerked his head toward the doorway. "Lead the way."

* * *

Once in Sasuke's bedroom, Naruto immediately noticed it had been recently cleaned. The bed had been made, the clothes that had been strewn around the room were gone and a fresh scent had replaced the pungent odor of booze and cigarettes from the night before.

He took off his shoes and watched Sasuke head to the phone next to his bed.

"Yamato. Could you please have breakfast sent to my room? Yes, the veranda. Yes, Naruto will be joining me. Thank you."

Naruto smiled at Sasuke's politeness and wondered what the Uchiha had done to Yamato to make him also on the receiving end of Sasuke's subtle attempt at apologizing.

A soft chuckle left him and he again glanced around the room, taking in the small differences. The wood floor looked swept and the enormous rug vacuumed. He turned to the fireplace, again marveling at the huge mirror when his eyes locked onto the new item now resting atop the fireplace mantle.

Naruto had come across many weapons in his life so far. From a crude iron bar to a gold engraved Colt. There were weapons that were utilitarian, and there were weapons that were works of art. The katana on Sasuke's mantle was clearly both. The hilt was carved of a deep, rich wood, the sides of it polished smooth and gleaming in the low light of the room. Naruto's eyes traced over the carved Uchiha fan in the wood. There were slight signs of wear on the hilt, showing the weapon was old, though well-cared for.

While the slightly curved, single-edged blade was kept safe from dirt and dust inside, Naruto was sure that it would be wickedly sharp, but not virgin steel. This was a weapon that was not for decoration, as beautiful as it looked at rest, Naruto had no doubt it would be deadly when put to its purpose.

"It belonged to my brother."

Naruto didn't notice Sasuke come up on his right. His rested his eyes on the soft, pale features of his face, but the young crime boss didn't look back at him, choosing instead to keep his eyes focused on the sword.

"I trained with Itachi for three years before he would even let me touch it," he said softly and Naruto watched as the dark eyes of the hardened criminal at his side, suddenly lit up with childlike awe. "It was another two years before he gave me one of my own, finally agreeing to spar with me; him with his katana against me and mine."

Sasuke stepped closer to the mantle and pulled his shoulders back. "I brought it back from my parents house, along with a few other mementoes."

"Sasuke…"

"I don't want you to leave, Naruto." Sasuke abruptly turned and faced the blond, his eyes steadfast and urgent. "I know I said... things… I was out of line." He moved closer and instantly caught the faint scent of soap Naruto had recently used, making him lean in closer still. "I didn't mean what… I don't…"

The air left Naruto's lungs. He reached up and gently took his lover's face in his hands. "I know you didn't mean what you said. It's alright." He closed the distance and pressed his forehead against Sasuke's.

"I don't want you to -" Sasuke's hands shot out and he seized Naruto's hips, fiercely digging his fingers into the skin. "Stay. _Please_ stay… with me."

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut. His heart was breaking. He knew the true weight of Sasuke's words and that he wasn't able to give the man the answer he wanted. He brought his mouth to Sasuke's and kissed him fully. "I'm here. I'm here, Sasuke," was all he could say in return as he smothered him in kisses and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck, too afraid to let go.

Just then, they heard the sound of the study door opening. Naruto broke their kiss but made no move to pull away.

"Breakfast." Sasuke whispered and Naruto smiled against his lips.

"Yamato will be upset if we let it get cold," Naruto said and shifted slightly back.

Sasuke yanked him back in and buried his face in the crook of Naruto neck. "Hn." He didn't want to let the blond go. His lifted his hands to the strap of Naruto's gun holster and undid the buckle. "You don't need to wear this in here."

"Hmmm… and what if I need to protect you?"

"You didn't need a gun the last time you protected me," Sasuke replied and Naruto lowered his arms so Sasuke could slide the leather straps off his shoulders. Tossing the offending contraption onto the couch, Sasuke resumed his assault on Naruto's neck.

The sound of the study door being shut, roused Naruto. "C'mon, Sasuke." He dropped his hands to the Uchiha's chest and playfully pushed him. "I got loads I need to talk to you about. If we start this now, we'll never stop."

"That's the plan," Sasuke murmured against his skin and sucked hard at his neck.

"Aaah… haha, Sasuke…" Naruto could already feel his cock pressing against his cords and new if he didn't force the two of them to stop now, it would be hours before he'd get a chance to talk to him. "And besides, I'm hungry."

Sasuke lifted his head and gave Naruto a direct look. "Fine. We'll eat, then fuck." he said and dragged Naruto by the hand to the bedroom door.

Naruto's laughter rang out as he was pulled out of the bedroom, through the study and onto the veranda.

Surveying the breakfast leftovers, Sasuke reached for his cigarettes and took two out. He lit both and then passed one to Naruto. They smoked in silence as they leaned back into their chairs. The meal had been delicious, leading Naruto to believe that all had been forgiven between Sasuke and Yamato.

"Kakashi said he'd be able to hire the men I'd need?"

"He said he knew where to find the kind of men you need," Naruto answered. "I know he'll get in touch once he finds something and I know how to reach him if needed. He uh... he also asked me relay his apology for not showing up to the funeral. With everything getting riskier, he thought it was best not to chance it."

"He's probably right." Sasuke took a sip of his coffee. "But regardless of risk we need to meet. All of us."

Naruto looked up from his coffee. "You think that's wise?"

"I need to have everyone in the same room at least once before we put the plan into motion. I need to be able to read the room, see where our strengths and weaknesses lie."

Naruto understood Sasuke's meaning. If anyone in our midst was unsure or aloof, Sasuke's keen perception would easily pick them out. With so much at stake, there would be little if any room for error. It would be Sasuke's only chance to meet all the players and weigh the loyalty and determination of each and every one.

"We'll have to find a good meeting place. One not connected to you. And then we'll have to figure out how to get you there unseen." Naruto blew out the hit off his smoke and stared at him.

"And I mean everyone Naruto. Including your contact down at the docks."

"Shika?" Naruto sat up. "Why do you need him at the meeting? He's not involved in this, Sasuke and I don't want him to be."

"Naruto, I understand your feelings about wanting to protect your friends but -"

"I can't bring him into this. Sasuke, you don't understand, this isn't me boosting a delivery truck. You know this is gonna get bloody. You know what kind of ending we're looking at, and that's if everything goes our way!" Naruto hadn't meant to get so emotional but the idea of involving his childhood friends sent a nasty chill through him and he wanted nothing to do with it.

"Naruto…," Sasuke said softly. "He wouldn't need to be involved in everything. But for this plan to work, I'm gonna need eyes and ears I can trust, to keep me informed. I'll need to know down to the wire what's happening on the street and if your friend is as good as I'm betting, then I'm gonna need him."

Naruto opened his mouth but Sasuke raised his hand. "For information only," he said quickly and the blond relaxed somewhat.

"He'll be kept far from the action?" Naruto asked, still leery of the idea.

"You have my word." Sasuke leveled his eyes at Naruto. "I have an idea on how we'll be able to get information back and forth but again, I'd need to speak with him first. I know you trust him and that's good enough for me but… I need to see with my own eyes what the man is capable of."

"Yeah well, you'd be surprised," Naruto said and Sasuke looked at him curiously. "Shika's smart. Real smart," Naruto replied. "If he hadn't been born on the street, he probably could've ran _Wall_ Street… if he had bothered to try, that is."

Sasuke nodded, his interest now definitely peaked. "All that's left is where and when."

Naruto leaned back into his chair and took a long drag from his cigarette. He still wasn't happy about the idea of having Shika involved but couldn't deny Sasuke's logic. Shika was the best man for the job that they'd need done and he knew Sasuke was a man of his word. He'd make sure his friend would be kept far from the main event.

"It would have to be somewhere close. Even the sight of you stepping out of your house right now would seem odd."

The Uchiha nodded and smoked his cigarette, thoughtfully.

Sasuke's reaction told Naruto he didn't need to explain why. He knew the subject of Sasuke mourning over the deaths of his parents was better off left unsaid. With both of them tiptoeing around the elephant in the room, Naruto would wait for another time to find out how Sasuke was handling it all.

"And perhaps a decoy of some sort to make sure I wouldn't be followed. I'd also need to find a way to sneak out of Pierrepont unnoticed." Sasuke stopped and stared at Naruto's sudden look of shock. "What?"

"You didn't know about the pathway." A slow grin came to his face and Sasuke creased his eyes in puzzlement.

"What pathway?"

Naruto stood up from the table. "Come on. There's something I need to show you."

"Sonofabitch." Sasuke said under his breath. "So that's how Itachi did it." He shook his head and couldn't resist a wistful smile at the memory of his brother always seeming to disappear into thin air. After turning off the light to the hidden room, he followed Naruto back into his closet, and shut the wooden panel closed.

Sasuke turned and faced Naruto. "Kakashi told you about this?"

"Heh, well, actually, he showed me."

A dark look came to Sasuke's eyes and Naruto threw up his hands.

"He came by to talk and I brought him with me as I did rounds. Nothing more, I swear! He even gave me his key." Naruto took out the key and handed it to Sasuke.

The Uchiha eyed the blond for a moment and then looked at the key, turning it over in his hand.

"That white haired fool enjoys your company more than I care for." Sasuke raised his eyes at Naruto and pocketed the key.

"Yeah well, I prefer your company," Naruto shot back and teasingly lifted an eyebrow at him before turning and walking back into the bedroom. "And if we're going to discuss inappropriate behavior," he called over his shoulder. "I think it's time we talk about why Orochimaru came to visit two days ago."

Sasuke followed after him. "What the hell did he want? Didn't you call him and cancel our meeting?"

"Of course I did." Naruto headed over to the couch and sat down. "I didn't even get to speak with him. Some guy named Kabuto answered and when I told him about the meeting and why we wouldn't be able to show, he said he'd let Orochimaru know and that was that."

Sasuke took a seat next to him and then turned his body to face Naruto fully. "I hate the idea of that man in my home."

"Sasuke… do you honestly think I'd let that freak inside Pierrepont?" Naruto gave the gangster a slanted look. "I was doing rounds, checking the perimeter of the house. I got to the yard when I heard a noise and turned around to see the slimy bastard walking towards me."

Naruto saw the flash of concern in Sasuke's eyes and nodded his head. "Yeah, I won't lie, I nearly shit myself."

Sasuke let out a soft chuckle.

"Luckily, we were doing rounds, so when I didn't meet back up in the foyer with the others, they came looking for me." Naruto let out a breath. "I can't tell you how relieved I was when I saw the guys surround the yard."

"Did he come alone?"

"I think so but with Orochimaru you can never be sure."

Sasuke nodded in agreement and slowly undid his cufflinks. "What did he say?"

Naruto eyed Sasuke. "Before I answer that, I wanna know something. What the hell were you and Sasori up to? And tell me the truth, Sasuke, cuz I already laid into the damn redhead.

Sasuke's hands paused. "I was planning on telling you… and should have told you right away," he said and continued the work on his sleeves. "Sasori mentioned to me that Orochimaru had shown interest in my… _association_ with you and we both thought -"

"To use me as bait," Naruto finished.

"Naruto." Sasuke finished rolling up his other sleeve and stood up. He placed his cufflinks on the fireplace mantle and then faced him. "It was just to see if I could get an in with him. He wouldn't agree to stand down and we still don't know if he's working some kind of angle for Madara or Neji."

Naruto leaned forward. "Well, the man seems to be working his own angle," Naruto muttered under his breath.

"I was never going to let things get that far."

"You mean to the point where he would come looking for me?" Naruto got up and walked back toward the bed. He went to the right, in between the bed and the bookshelf and stood in front of the window overlooking the East River. Moments later he felt a pair of strong hands wrap around his waist and a lean, firm body press up against him from behind.

"What did you do to Sasori?" Sasuke asked, his mouth lightly warming Naruto's shoulder.

"Nothing that won't heal."

Sasuke smirked and squeezed Naruto tighter. "What did Orochimaru offer?"

Naruto spun around. "You knew he'd try to make a deal?"

One look at Naruto stunned blue eyes had Sasuke feeling somewhat guilty. "No. But if he went out of his way to come here, then it would stand to reason he'd offer a deal. The man is… let's just say I'm fully aware of his proclivities. When my brother turned down his advances years ago, it was only natural that I was next on his list."

"He tried to get you into bed?"

"Ugh, when you say it like that."

"Sasuke."

"Yes, Naruto. Orochimaru has made several advances in my direction. I have never and absolutely will never even entertain the thought of giving the man what he wants."

"Then why?" Naruto moved past him and sat on a small stool at the end of the bookcase. "If you had no intention of taking his deal, why offer me up like that? Again?"

Realization hit Sasuke and he sat down on the edge of the bed. "I wasn't offering you up. Not like that. Not like I did back when…"

"Do you wanna know what he proposed? A full agreement to stay out of our way, whatever our plans. _If_ we invited him over."

"Naruto…"

"To come here, to your room… with us. Do you understand what I'm saying, Sasuke?"

Sasuke stood up and walked to the couch, unable to meet Naruto's eyes.

"Do you know what it was like? Standing there having to listen to him say how much he would enjoy having a front row seat while…" Naruto felt his stomach turn and shut his mouth. Breakfast still wasn't fully digested and now it was in danger of ending up on the floor of Sasuke's bedroom.

"It will never happen," Sasuke said to him.

"They wh -"

"Because I knew that once he made that sort of offer, it would mean he wasn't loyal to Madara or the Hyuga. Orochimaru has his own agenda. Chances are that if we… if we lead him to believe we're considering his deal, he might not interfere when we go after Madara."

Naruto shot a look at Sasuke but didn't say anything. He got up and walked back to the window and stared out at the harbor. "Maybe you should just invite him over."

"Naruto."

"Didn't you say the other night about not caring if everyone watched you fucking me on the stairs."

"Don't joke, Naruto. It's not going to happen, ever." Sasuke strode over to where he was standing at the window and spun the blond around before taking him in his arms. "I enjoy teasing you. I didn't mean what I said about them all watching." He pressed his face against Naruto's cheek and kissed the warm skin just below the jawline. "I have no intention of sharing you."

Naruto closed his eyes to the feel of Sasuke's mouth. "Even if it means lessening our odds against Madara?"

Sasuke lifted his head. "Yes," he said, his eyes firm and unwavering.

Naruto nodded. "I should go downstairs and check in with the crew. We're still on lockdown and the guys are gonna need help with patrols."

Sasuke frowned. "You're upset."

"Nah, I'm okay. I was pissed when I found out Sas had been feeding rumors to Orochimaru, but after I put two and two together, I realized there was no way he would have done it without your seal of approval."

"You wanna take a swing at me?" Sasuke lifted a brow at the blond.

"No. But that doesn't mean I'm letting you off the hook so easily, Uchiha." Naruto gave the man a reluctant grin. "Once I'm done with rounds, you and I are gonna settle up."

Sasuke straightened his shoulders and then turned and walked away. Naruto watched him walk over to the nightstand and pick up the telephone.

"Yamato. Could you assist the crew with patrols today? Naruto will be monitoring things up here and won't be able to… Yes. Thank you... No, I don't think we'll be needing lunch. Thank you." Sasuke hung up the earpiece and faced Naruto.

A dark grin lifted the corner of Naruto's mouth. "Come here."

Sasuke sauntered around the bed toward Naruto while undoing his vest; his eyes locked on the bright blues of his lover. He barely tossed his vest to the floor when Naruto grabbed him by his tie and yanked him in and then threw him hard, back up against the bookcase.

"Ugh." Sasuke grunted and found himself pinned and unable to move. "Are you going to scold me?" he asked slyly and felt his heart begin to race at the sight of Naruto's devilish grin looking back at him.

Naruto had Sasuke's wrists above his head and pressed into the shelves of books. "I think you could use some scolding," he said, a deep huskiness coating his voice. He then lowered his mouth to bite at the base of Sasuke's smooth ivory neck and smiled at the way Sasuke arched his body in response. "And perhaps a lesson or two in restraint," he added and used his body to grind his hard length into his lover's.

The sheer force of Naruto had sent all the blood in his brain straight to his groin, causing Sasuke's cock to immediately stand at attention. With his breathing now erratic and harsh, his heart began pounding in his chest from the anticipation that was now flooding through him. Though he couldn't outright lie that he wasn't overwhelmingly turned on by the idea of Naruto having his way with him, Sasuke was never one to back down so easily, so he lifted his chin in defiance and sent the blond a challenging glare.

Naruto took one look at Sasuke's expression and let out a deep chuckle. "I was _really_ hoping you'd say that."

It happened fast. One moment Naruto was flinging Sasuke by the wrists toward the bed and Sasuke was scrambling to get to the headboard. Naruto got to him first and the next thing Sasuke knew, he was being shoved face down into the mattress with Naruto again grabbing his wrists and restraining them behind his back.

"Gotcha," Naruto whispered into Sasuke's ear and the Uchiha squeezed his eyes shut, trying to maintain some level of composure.

Now straddling him, Naruto used his knees to help keep Sasuke's arms still. With one hand, he took hold of the tie Sasuke was still wearing and pried it loose so he could slide it free.

 _Fuck._ Sasuke was already achingly hard. Opening his mouth, his bit into the sheets, hoping it would help keep his groaning to a minimum.

Naruto first took one, then Sasuke's other hand and stretched them out and above the gangster's head. Confused, Sasuke didn't fight back as he felt Naruto use his tie to bind his wrists tight. Fighting back the urge to moan, Sasuke tried to catch his breath. Having somewhat relaxed from not having his hands bound behind his back, Sasuke was taken by surprise when Naruto produced a long length of rope from behind the headboard. With his head turned to the side, he eyed it curiously but said nothing.

"Found it in the garage," Naruto said in response to Sasuke's inquisitive look. "It's not as elegant as the one you used on me," he added, leaning forward to again whisper into Sasuke's ear. "But it'll do for what I have planned for you."

"You've been planning this?" Sasuke was surprised by the strain in his voice. He almost cringed at how desperate he sounded.

"Hmmm," Naruto answered. "Since our first night together, I've thought of all the different things I'd love to do to you once I had my chance."

Sasuke dug his face into the bed and bit his lip hard. He could feel the dampness of his leaking cock against the bed sheet and closed his eyes. They had barely started and already he was wondering how much more of this he'd be able to take.

Suddenly he felt Naruto loop the rope between the tie around his wrists, and then heard a soft slapping sound. Before he could look back to see what was going on, Sasuke felt himself being pulled up. He struggled to his knees but the tension kept going, forcing him to his feet. He looked up and saw that Naruto had utilized one of the wooden beams over his bed in the same fashion he had used the pulley in his suite at the club.

Naruto raised himself up behind Sasuke and pulled the loose ends of the rope through the hooped end he had flung over the beam. Yanking it downward he effectively pulled Sasuke taut and was able to tie off the ends without much trouble.

Facing the large window, Sasuke Looked out at the New York Harbor and was grateful they were too far from city's highrises for anyone to see him in such a state. He closed his eyes and tried to slow his breathing. God, he was so turned on that he wondered if he would blow his load from just one touch from Naruto. Is this how it had been for the blond when he had stretched him out back at the suite?

Sasuke's eyes shot open when he felt the mattress dip from somewhere behind him.

"How does it feel, Sasuke?" Naruto's voice oozed. "To be on display... for me?"

Suddenly Naruto's hands were on him, flat and around his waist, palming his stomach and then his chest. Sasuke tried to steady his breathing but could only close his eyes to the exquisite feel of his lover's hands running over his body.

The hands left him and Naruto moved around and stood in front of him. "You look good strung up and waiting for me," he said smiling. "I can't wait to make you beg the way you had me begging the night you tied me up for hours and hours."

But Sasuke only looked back at him, refusing to say a word.

"Haha, that's okay." Naruto threaded his hand into Sasuke's dark, rich hair and fisted it harshly, yanking his head back with force. Sasuke opened his mouth and gasped but didn't utter a word. His cock immediately flexing at the sudden assault.

Naruto gave the sleek pale neck one long, slow lick. "Mmm… It's more fun this way." He let out a small laugh and let go of Sasuke's hair to tease his pebbled nipples through his cotton shirt and smiled when he saw the gangsters eyes close to the feeling. "Like that, huh?"

Then without warning, Naruto took hold of the front of his shirt and ripped it open, sending buttons flying everywhere. Sasuke's eyes shot open and saw Naruto smirking back at him.

He ran his hands over Sasuke's bare chest and hummed in approval. "Fuck Sasuke, you're so goddamn sexy, do you know that?" He leaned in and took one of his pink nipples into his mouth and sucked hard, using his teeth to bite it intermittently. A soft noise escaped Sasuke's throat and Naruto smiled.

Feeling even more turned on and determined to draw out more delicious sounds from his lover, he attacked the other nipple while his hands continued their exploration of every beautiful muscle etched on Sasuke's body.

Not being able to hold back the way Sasuke had when their positions had been reversed, Naruto dropped to his knees and began pulling at the belt in front of him. He noticed the large damp spot on Sasuke's slacks, drawing attention to the sizable bulge underneath it.

"Already so excited?" He teased and looked up to see Sasuke's eyes staring back down at him.

Throwing the belt aside he quickly undid the clasp and yanked Sasuke's slacks down. When the hard and weeping cock bobbed free, Naruto again, cast his eyes upward.

"Tell me what you want, Sasuke."

The Uchiha stared down at the blue eyes now deep with lust and swallowed down a groan that had been trying to work its way out. Still not willing to give in, he bit his lower lip, giving Naruto only the slightest of indication of what he wanted.

Grinning, Naruto helped Sasuke step out of his pants, tossing them off the bed, and then returned his attention to Sasuke's phallus. Moving in close, he licked the precum from the tip at an agonizing slow pace and then again looked up.

Sasuke threw back his head. "Oh fuck," he gritted out and Naruto smiled.

"That's a good start," he said and leaned in, giving another long lick across Sasuke's hip bone, moving downward and in but stopping just shy of Sasuke's erection.

"Naruto…"

The blond looked up. "Hmm? Something you wanna say, Sasuke?"

Looking down at Naruto sent Sasuke over the edge. He couldn't stand it anymore. His body was screaming with need and he could barely think straight. Naruto's aggressive teasing had him strained to his limits from trying to keep from shaking and crying out. Every sensation was driving him out of his mind. Finally with his chest heaving, he let out a soft moan.

Naruto's eyes were trained on Sasuke. Quickly, he pulled off his tank top and began working to remove his pants. Once he heard Sasuke moan, he knew he wanted to draw him out just a bit more before caving in. God, how he didn't want to wait. How Sasuke had held back when it had been him strung up by the rope, Naruto didn't know. It was killing him not to touch him and swallow every last taste of him down.

Throwing his pants off the bed, he moved back against the headboard and glanced behind him and out the window. Looking back at Sasuke, Naruto got to his feet and stood up naked and hard, with his back to the glass. With his ass leaning against the headboard, Naruto began stroking himself. He held Sasuke's eyes to his own as long as he could, until his lids drifted shut, enjoying the full pleasure of being watched.

"Please… Naruto," Sasuke gritted out and blue eyes shot open.

Without pause, he fell to his knees in front of Sasuke and took his entire length deep into his mouth.

Sasuke cried out and threw his head back. The heat now enveloping his dick was so intense that he couldn't stop himself from thrusting his hips and fucking Naruto's mouth at a frenzied pace. He felt a pair of hands reach around and grip his ass, spreading him open as his continued to pump his hips. Not able to hold back anymore, a garbled scream fell from his lips as he came into Naruto's mouth. Wave after wave of pleasure crashed through him, sending his body into a torrent of spasms.

Naruto continued to suck as he swallowed every last drop of Sasuke, relishing the way his lover's body shuddered from the sensitivity of his release. When he looked up and saw Sasuke's body go slack, he rushed to untie him.

Once free of the restraints, Sasuke sank to the bed and Naruto quickly moved in close; not at all finished with his sport. With agile speed, he peeled off Sasuke's shirt, flipped Sasuke onto his stomach and again took hold of his wrists. He guided his hands to the headboard and placed them at the top.

"Keep your hands here and don't let go."

Too spent to resist, Sasuke raised himself on his knees and held on. He felt the bed dip and Naruto move away but was still too lost in his fading climax to dwell on it for long. Only a minute, if that, passed before Naruto was again behind him, caressing him slow and attentively.

Under his hands, Sasuke's smooth body felt like silk. With his fingertips, he traced every contour of muscle along his back and down his spine, not able to resist pressing his lips to the firm rounds of his ass. He took the jar he brought back from the nightstand and carefully coated his fingers and his erection with the viscous gel. Leaning forward, he pressed his body to Sasuke's and tenderly kissed his shoulders. When Naruto heard him moan in response, he gently slid a finger close to his entrance and waited.

"Oh fuck," Sasuke dropped his forehead against the top of the headboard and instinctively arched himself into Naruto's hand. "Yes," he whispered and felt a single finger slowly slide into him. For a moment he tensed, but when he felt Naruto's other hand reach around and stroke him off, his mind drifted away from the stinging and his body eased against the intrusion.

Naruto buried his face against Sasuke's back. "God, Sasuke you feel so fucking good."

A low growl came from the Uchiha and he began to push back and into Naruto's hand. "Keep going," he groaned.

Now feeling his patience beginning to unravel, Naruto pushed a second finger in and both of them moaned loud at the sensation. He worked to slowly stretch the tight ring of muscles with his fingers but the need to hurry was welling up inside him.

"Again," Sasuke said and continued to writhe into the intrusive fingers.

Now shaking, and with his desire hanging by a thread, Naruto pushed a third digit into his lover.

"Aahh fuck!"

The sound of Sasuke cursing at being breached was the last straw. Naruto bit down on his lip to keep from rushing, but his impatience was starting to get the better of him. Hurriedly he shifted his hand, earning a loud grunt from Sasuke, and searched for the spot he knew to be just past…

"Naruto!" Sasuke screamed out and his whole body rocked and shook. "Now, do it now," Sasuke called out, breathless and strained.

Without wasting another second, Naruto helped lift Sasuke to his feet and bent him over the headboard, pushing him up against the bedroom window. He then lined himself up behind him and with one hand on Sasuke's hip, he used the other to guide his cock into the tight opening of Sasuke's ass.

As his slid his full length into him, both men gasped and choked out short pants of breath in between their loud moans. Naruto's head dropped down on Sasuke's shoulders, not able to handle the tight heat that was now engulfing his dick.

Sasuke struggled for breath. He pressed his face against the glass of the window and squeezed his eyes shut. Naruto was too big, his mind screamed. And as he tried to level out his breathing, he spread his hands out onto the window and forced himself to relax.

Slowly Naruto began to move and with each shallow thrust, Sasuke felt his tension ease. Delirious with pleasure, he rolled his eyes as Naruto slid in and back out of him. He heard himself let out a needy whine and with mouth open and forehead pressed up against the window, he tried to hold himself back from crying out. He fisted his hands against the window. _Naruto,_ his mind chanted over and over and Sasuke knew there would be no letting go of the blond… ever.

Naruto bit into the flesh of Sasuke's shoulder. There was nothing to compare the feeling to. As he moved deep inside of Sasuke, the heat and constriction was almost too much. Then when he heard Sasuke begin to whine and felt him push back against his thrusts, Naruto hooked his hands under Sasuke's shoulders, gripping them tight. Picking up the pace he began to pound the Uchiha harder, snapping his hips and losing his mind to the sound of their skin slapping against each other.

"Tell me, Sasuke," Naruto panted as his kept his mad pace.

"Fuck me, Naruto. Oh God, fuck me."

Seven words and Naruto lost his mind. Sweating and grunting, he pounded into Sasuke harder and harder. He was wild with desire and need. He could vaguely hear sounds and cries coming from his lover but could pay no attention to them as he slammed over and over into Sasuke from behind.

Sasuke reached down and took hold of his rock hard length and pumped it violently. "I'm close! Naruto, fuck!"

Naruto muscles were on fire but he didn't back off. He kept his hellish pace until he heard Sasuke call out his name while letting out a strangled sobbing cry.

"Naruto!"

After that, only two more thrust were enough to take Naruto straight into his orgasm. His whole body seized and then wracked with pleasure as his climax overtook him. "Sasuke," he whispered and felt his eyes stinging at the quiet prayer. His release emptied into his lover and he bit down on his lip to keep the declarations of love from escaping. Softly shaking his head in denial, Naruto tried to tell himself that it was just the act itself that had caused these emotions to rise to the surface but as he slid out of the delicious heat of his lover and both of them collapsed onto the mattress below, he took Sasuke into his arms and knew the awful truth... there would be no place for him without Uchiha Sasuke.

A few hours later Sasuke and Naruto finally found themselves under the hot spray of the shower. This time Naruto took the washcloth from Sasuke and did his best at tending to his lover. With the cloth lathered, he reached down and took hold of Sasuke's hardening phallus, thoroughly stroking it and relishing the way his lover began to flex into his hand.

"We'll have to do that more often," Naruto muttered and leaned in to kiss Sasuke soft. He pulled back from the kiss and then moved back in, nipping his bottom lip before thrusting his tongue into Sasuke's mouth.

"Tease," Sasuke said against Naruto's lips. He grabbed the back of his lover's neck and pulled him in tighter before kissing him more aggressively.

A deep chuckle escaped Naruto's throat. "I learned from the best."

"Hmm…" Sasuke answered and took the washcloth from Naruto's hand. He continued kissing him back while he moved the cloth up his lover's chest. Finally pulling back he soaped Naruto's entire body on up to his shoulders, before using his hands to turn him around so he could wash his back. Forgetting himself, Naruto turned without hesitation and once again, Sasuke came face to face with the topic he'd been avoiding for quite some time.

As he smoothed the cloth over Naruto's scarred back, he followed each movement with his other hand, letting his fingers lightly caress each deep crevice that had once been carved out of his lover's young skin. He then tossed the washcloth aside and urged Naruto forward. Once rinsed off under the showerhead, Sasuke used both hands to trace the fleshy scars followed by every single stretch mark. Naruto finally registered what was happening and tensed, but instead of easing up, Sasuke bent down and began lightly kissing each aged wound.

"Sasuke…" Naruto could feel the sting coming to his eyes and tried to fight it. Looking up he blinked rapidly and then reached behind him trying to take hold of his lover and make him stop.

But Sasuke only grabbed Naruto's hands in his own and threaded their fingers together. He stood up and with hands entwined, wrapped his arms around Naruto's waist, until he was flush against him, and then used his mouth to kiss the warm slope of his lover's neck.

"If I ever find the person who hurt you…" he said in a dark, low voice. "I will end him."

Naruto marked the dangerous tone as he felt Sasuke's arms tighten around him. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, trying to will away the emotion now building inside him. Somewhere deep in his mind, a small flicker of realization flashed before his eyes and he swallowed hard. He knew that if he decided to finally tell his tale with the hope that it would encourage Sasuke to open up about his own suffering, there would be no taking back his words if his confession somehow ended up being all for naught.

As the water in the shower began to cool, Naruto turned around to face Sasuke. Using his hands, he tugged Sasuke's hips back and rinsed them both off under the spray. Without saying a word, he then turned off the water and shook out his hair, trying to get rid of the excess moisture. Sasuke considered Naruto's quietness and wondered if he had crossed a line. It had always been obvious that the blond didn't want to explain his scars, but given the recent turn in their relationship, Sasuke hadn't been able to stop himself from showing his concern or his underlining wrath at what had happened to Naruto in his youth.

He watched as the blond grab two towels and then handed him one, still would not meeting Sasuke's eyes. When Naruto stepped out of the bath, Sasuke followed him out and into the closet where they both dressed in silence. He handed Naruto one of his soft cotton pajama bottoms and Naruto smiled at him.

"Do you have any booze up here?" Naruto finally said, pulling the pants up around his waist.

Sasuke looked up at him as he was tying his drawstring pants. "Out in the receiving room, back near the breakfast table there's a small cabinet. Lift the top up and you'll find all the poisons you need."

Naruto grinned and walked off toward the bedroom door. "Any preference?" he called out.

"Dealer's choice," Sasuke said and stared after him.

Naruto walked into the large sitting room and went to the cabinet. His heart was racing. He knew what he was about to do and even though alcohol would provide him with some much needed courage, he couldn't stop the flutterings of panic that were now shooting through him.

He looked down into the wooden chest and rummaging around, found a bottle of whiskey and several glasses. He was just about to close the lid when he paused and then grabbed the bottle of red wine he saw off to the side. Another quick search rewarded him with a corkscrew and with arms full, he closed the lid and headed back.

Sasuke was crouched by the fireplace when Naruto returned and he saw a small dark wooden table set out next to the couch. He walked up to it and set down the booze and glasses.

"I thought a fire to take away the chill, might be nice." Sasuke threw a match into the woodpile and shut the ornate iron gates closed. "The table I grabbed from my closet."

Naruto nodded but kept his eyes on the task at hand. The whiskey bottle he opened without a problem but once he started pouring them each a glass, it was pretty clear his nerves were rattled.

"Naruto, what's wrong." Sasuke took the bottle from his hands.

He hadn't even noticed that Sasuke had gotten up and was now standing next to him. He looked up and gave the gangster an awkward grin. "Just really needing a drink, if you don't mind."

Sasuke filled both glasses and then watched as Naruto took his and drank off the whole of it, in one go.

"Thanks," he said, licking his lips and set the crystal back on the small table.

This wasn't like Naruto, Sasuke thought as he watched him walk away. Had his attention to his scars in the shower been too much for the blond to handle? After the bumbling he had made of their conversation yesterday, the last thing Sasuke wanted was to cause Naruto more pain. He re-poured the now empty glass and then took a sip from his own while keeping his eyes glued to the way his lover was now staring out the bedroom window.

"Did you know I met Gaara when I was about five years old?" Naruto finally said. He stayed facing the window, not looking back at Sasuke, but the Uchiha nodded in response nonetheless.

"He was such an angry kid. Getting into fights and stuff." Naruto took in a breath but didn't turn around. "Then one day I saw him sitting alone in the mess hall and so I went over and sat next to him. It took awhile for him to trust that I wasn't gonna try anything with him. You know kids, fool us once… but fool us twice…" Naruto pulled his shoulders back. "Once he realized I just wanted someone to eat lunch with, we sorta became friends."

Naruto turned and found Sasuke at his side holding a fresh glass of whiskey. He smiled at him and took a sip.

Resuming his surveillance of the New York skyline, Naruto went on. "It was only a few days after that we became inseparable. Which turned out to be a good thing. The big kids at the orphanage seemed to always be after him…"

Naruto's voice trailed off but Sasuke didn't dare interrupt. He finally understood what was happening and stayed quiet; careful not to get too close or push the blond any faster than he was willing to go. Taking a few steps back, he sat on the edge of the bed and waited for the story he knew was coming.

"You see, Gaara was small for his age. You can still see it now. Not many people would suspect he's almost two years older than me. In the beginning it was no big deal but when we hit eleven and twelve… the older kids…" Naruto stopped and looked down at his glass. He took another long drink and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Some of the older boys," he said again looking back out the window. "They began to take notice of his… smaller, frailer stature."

Naruto stayed quiet for a moment and Sasuke almost thought he wouldn't continue. Without thinking he got up from the bed and went around to the nightstand. There Sasuke found his cigarettes and quickly lit one as he walked back to where Naruto was standing at the other side of the bed. He offered him the smoke and Naruto, lost in thought, took it without so much as a nod of thanks. Sasuke placed the ashtray on the bed next to him and again stepped back, sitting on the mattress just a few feet away. He lit a cigarette of his own and again, waited.

A long trail of smoke left Naruto's lungs. "Did I tell you that Gaara's father ran the orphanage? Hah, can you believe it? That sack of shit called that workhouse an orphanage. Rasa was a mean fucker too. He knew Gaara was getting beaten up, bullied and he didn't care as long as the money kept rolling in." Naruto voice took on an unfamiliar tone of disgust. "To treat his own son…" Naruto finished off the drink in his hand and turned around.

"He knew," Naruto said to Sasuke. "About the way the older boys… _Mizuki's friends_... were always after Gaara, trying to get him alone in the dorms… in the showers... cuz he was small." Naruto paused and then finding his voice again, went on. "And he knew about Mizuki's constant assaults on Sakura and he didn't care." Feeling a slight buzz finally kicking in, Naruto closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He walked passed Sasuke and went to pour himself another glass.

With his smoke clenched between his teeth he went on. "Gaara hated the fact that his own father was responsible. Indirectly, of course but accountable just the same. So after one too many attacks on Sakura, he decided that Mizuki had to pay." Naruto set the bottle down and took another slow drink from his glass before moving to lean back against the couch, facing Sasuke. "The older boys Mizuki ran with, were always after Gaara, you see? So Gaara knew what would happen if Mizuki ever got a hold of Sakura. He… I… we did what we could to protect her and ourselves but it wasn't enough." He stared into Sasuke's eyes but the Uchiha didn't reply. He just sat still and continued to listen.

"Of course it also didn't help that Mizuki was Rasa's little pet, but Gaara didn't care. We had a plan. We were gonna escape outta that shit hole once and for all, but Gaara… Gaara had already made up his mind that he was going to make that poor excuse for a human pay before we left." Naruto took in a quick breath and looked around, shocked at his words. He had never confronted the anger that was still buried inside, and it surprised him that after all these years, he could still tap into those old emotions he thought he had long ago said goodbye to.

Naruto took a drink. "Down in the basement," he said after a quick swallow. "Where all the kids were always taken for punishment, Gaara found a huge barrel of lye. He never intended to kill Mizuki, he just wanted to teach him a lesson. Hurt him enough so he wouldn't be able to hurt others for a while. Slow him down, you know?" He took a hit of his cigarette and then walked toward the ashtray and snuffed it out. Naruto then walked back to the window and gazed out at the late afternoon giving way to dusk. "Gaara found a way to mix the lye with Mizuki's bath soap. He had always been a smart kid, and he thought it would sting, make the asshole scratch for a few weeks, months maybe. But it turned out that the first thing Mizuki did in the shower was wash his dick. You see, the lye Gaara used became caustic when it mixed with water, giving Mizuki third degree burns on his privates all the way up his abdomen." Naruto took another long swig. "The whole orphanage heard him screaming." Naruto paused and stared into his glass.

"The entire place came to a standstill after they rushed him to the hospital. Rasa dragged Gaara by his hair to his office and demanded to know who was responsible. And every time Gaara told him he didn't know, his father smacked him across the room." Naruto looked over at Sasuke. Immediately the Uchiha produced another cigarette and lit it up. When he handed it to Naruto, the blond nodded in thanks and returned to his post at the window.

"But you see, Rasa was running out of time. There were these bankers scheduled to visit that day and he didn't have time for some elementary Spanish Inquisition. So he decided that beating his son for information was the only solution." Naruto took a hard drag off his smoke and let out a shaky breath. "I came down the hall at the wrong or right time, depending on how you want to judge me later. Rasa was walking out of his office just as I was walking by. I peeked inside and saw Gaara crumpled on the floor with blood coming out of his mouth and nose and well… I lost it."

Naruto sipped his drink and then turned to face Sasuke. "Gaara begged me to let it go. Can you believe it? A twelve year old boy, lying on the floor, beaten and bleeding? I took off after Rasa and caught up with him just as he was shaking hands with the bankers who were there to decide whether or not to invest in Rasa's little money making scheme. I tackled him and gave him the best punches my eleven year old self could muster before he was able to throw me off." Naruto took another drink. "He dragged me by my hair, outta the main hall and into his office where Gaara was still lying on the floor, and locked us in together."

Sasuke looked down at his glass and realized he hadn't drank a single drop this whole time. He lifted the booze to his lips and kept his eyes glued on Naruto.

Looking down at his own glass, Naruto then walked away from the window, back to the small black table and set the crystal down. He could feel the drunkenness seeping in and knew if he didn't slow down, he'd never be able to finish his story and he wanted to finish it. A strange desperation had begun to fill him. The need to lay it all out and finally be done with it, burned. And who better to tell than Sasuke? The one man he knew, who had no agenda. Who would never utter a word of it to anyone. For not only did he trust the damn Uchiha but he knew Sasuke was the kind of man who saw no honor in betraying a confidence. It would be beneath him to spread something so common as gossip.

He again leaned up against the couch and took a hit of is cigarette and stared down at it in his hand. "He took me and Gaara down to the basement some time later. Gaara was thrown into a small utility closet and locked in, and I was thrown against a wall. I was knocked out for just a moment or two… But when I opened my eyes, Rasa was standing over me with a thin stick of some kind in his hand and from a distance, I could hear Gaara banging on the door of the closet to be let out." Naruto tried, but couldn't lift his gaze. He could feel Sasuke's dark eyes boring into him but he didn't want to meet his stare and instead, stared down at his feet and continued on in a low even voice.

"He ordered me to turn around and when I wouldn't, he told me if I didn't, then he would grab Gaara instead." Naruto finally looked up, his eyes pleading with Sasuke's. "You have to understand… After six years in that place... Gaara and I, we weren't just friends anymore. He was the only family I had and I was all he had. There was nothing… not a goddamn thing we wouldn't do for each other." Naruto's voice dropped and so did his eyes. "So I turned around... and that was when Rasa began whipping my back with his wooden stick. I screamed. I couldn't help it. I tried to get away but no matter where I turned, he just kicked or shoved me back around, whipping me with that godforsaken stick. The pain became so bad that I blacked out and don't even remember when he finally stopped and left to go back upstairs."

Sasuke watched Naruto run a hand through his hair. He could tell the blond was stalling and felt the urge to tell him, he didn't have to finish the story. But something in Naruto's face held Sasuke back. A strong fierce wildfire, burning bright was emanating from his eyes and Sasuke knew that this was no longer a confession but a reckoning, and that he had been chosen to bear witness. He looked down at his long forgotten cigarette and tossed it into the ashtray. He lit himself another one and stood up, carrying the ashtray over to the small table of booze. Naruto eyed it and moved toward it to crush his smoke out. Sasuke handed him the newly lit cigarette and the blond accepted it, nodding soft in thanks.

Naruto looked up toward the window and saw the oncoming evening slowly darkening the sky. _Had so much time gone by?_ Trying to keep his mind from being overtaken by the booze, he took in a deep breath and moved away from Sasuke. The room had gone dim with the only light now coming from from the fireplace. Naruto took a hit from his cigarette and walked around the couch to sit down at one end, enjoying the crackling sounds coming from the fire. He found himself staring into the flames, lost in thought when suddenly Sasuke appeared at his side. He had lifted the small table and moved it closer to where Naruto was now sitting. Blue eyes looked up at him in thanks but quickly darted away, choosing to again gaze into the fire, while he tried to find the words needed to continue and finish his tale once and for all.

Trying not to think about whether or not Sasuke's black eyes were still fixed on him, Naruto leaned back into the couch, pulled one knee up and took a slow tug off his smoke.

"I finally came to at the sound of Mizuki's gang coming down the stairs." Naruto didn't dare take his eyes off the fire in front of him. "I remember them saying something about Rasa wanting them to bring me back upstairs and leave me in the nurses station but when I looked up, all four of them were staring down at me… grinning."

Thankful the table was next to him, Naruto crushed out his cigarette. "I never said a word. Even as they all laughed and taunted me with the threats of what they were gonna do to me before they took me upstairs, I didn't so much as utter a fucking sound." Naruto didn't light another smoke but instead, reached for his glass of whiskey and took a large gulp. He turned to his right and finally faced Sasuke who was now sitting on the other end of the sofa.

"You didn't want them to know Gaara was locked in the storage closet."

Naruto's eyes stared back at Sasuke. He clenched his jaw and fought the against the sting in his eyes. "But he called out anyway." Naruto pushed the words out and hitched in a breath. "Gaara overheard their threats and started pounding on the door and yelling so they would… so they wouldn't..." He kept his eyes on Sasuke's as a look of guilt and total devastation washed over his face. In a low barely audible whisper, Naruto went on. "He fucking called out, Sasuke… he…" Shaking his head, Naruto couldn't take it anymore and stood up. He placed his drink on the table and walked around the velvet couch.

Sasuke stayed sitting and didn't say a word. The redhead had saved Naruto from an attack worse than Rasa's stick and as he turned, watching Naruto start to pace the room, it all became clear to him; why the blond would never change his mind about California. Why he had rushed off with nothing more than a baseball bat in his hand on the night of the botched hit on Sasuke's life and why Naruto had been so broken over the way life had turned out for Sakura and even his childhood love, Hinata.

"Everything after that happened so fast," Naruto said, bringing Sasuke out of his thoughts. "They left me lying on the floor and rushed to where Gaara was shouting. I tried to get up but my legs were weak and the fucking pain from my back kept rolling through me every time I tried to move. I could hear laughing and… I could hear Gaara… I could hear him… and I couldn't… so I tried, again and again to get up until finally I grabbed this large crate and pulled myself up." Naruto stopped suddenly and turned to face Sasuke. His words now coming fast and frantic. "That was when the adrenaline kicked in. My head went clear, ya know? And the pain faded into a dull throb. So I tried to focus and I tried to not listen to the sounds, god those sounds that were coming from the closet and when I scanned the basement, I saw it, I saw just what I needed not far from the storage door."

"The lye." Sasuke's voice was smooth and low.

Naruto nodded. "I ran over to it but knew I couldn't touch it. God knows how, but a shovel was sitting next to the bin, so I yanked off the barrel lid and I grabbed the shovel. I dug the thing into the vat of lye and screamed with all I had. Two of the guys came rushing out to see what was going on and I doused them good. They fell to the floor screaming that their eyes were burning and when the other one ran out, I scooped up another good amount and tossed it his way. When he went down, I ran into the utility closet and swung the shovel at the last guy." Naruto paused, catching his breath. "I don't remember actually hitting him but I do remember seeing him on the ground, not moving. And Gaara…" Naruto's voice caught but he held Sasuke's gaze. "I picked up Gaara off the floor and dragged him out. With me carrying him and the both of us bloody and scared, we ran up the stairs and out through the basement door. They had left it unlocked, so we were able to escape out into the yard. I don't know how long we ran in the dark but we didn't dare look back or slow down, we just kept going and by the time we finally collapsed, exhausted, it was near midnight and both Gaara and I were in shock with no idea where we were or how we had gotten there."

The room went quiet. Naruto closed his mouth and blinked. There it was, everything that had happened the night he got his scars, and he and Gaara had ran for their lives. Exhausted, Naruto slumped down onto the edge of the bed and stared at the floor.

"You're shaking."

Naruto looked up at Sasuke. He had a blanket in his hands and unfurled it, wrapping it around Naruto's shoulders. Naruto stared back at his lover but couldn't say a word.

"Come sit next to the fire." Sasuke held out his hand and Naruto took it, letting him guide him back to the couch. Sasuke sat down at one end and laid down on the couch with his head against the armrest, tugging Naruto close so he could lay back against him, resting between his legs. Naruto pulled the blanket free and covered them both. Sasuke wrapped his arms around him and Naruto relaxed, letting his head fall back against Sasuke's chest; neither one of them saying a word as they lay together, watching the fire dance and crackle.

"The fire got low," Naruto said when he noticed Sasuke finally opening his eyes.

Naruto was kneeling next to the hearth, stoking the fire and getting a low flame to build. He added another log and shut the gate.

"What time is it?" Sasuke sat up and stretched.

"A little after one." Naruto stood up and brushed his hands over his pants. "If you're hungry, I can go downstairs and fix you something. I'm sure Yamato saved plenty of leftovers when we missed dinner." He gave Sasuke a slow smile.

"Come here," Sasuke said and Naruto went to him.

Sasuke placed his hands on Naruto's hips and pulled him closer, pressing his forehead against the warmth of his stomach. He felt gentle fingers thread through his hair and let out a soft sigh at the touch. Looking up he caught a pair of bright blue eyes staring back down at him.

"Are you…" Naruto swallowed. "Are you doing alright, Sasuke? You don't have to talk about it but I need to at least know… are you okay?" Naruto caressed the side of his face and slowly went down on his knees so he could face him.

"After all you went through and you're worried about me." A flicker of pain flashed over Sasuke's eyes and was gone before Naruto could utter a word of concern. "I don't know the answer to that yet," he said. "Everything is still… hazed."

Naruto nodded in understanding. He leaned in and kissed him, gently covering his mouth over Sasuke's. They stayed that way, kissing and tasting each other, slow and deliberate, until Naruto suddenly pulled back and jumped to his feet.

"What was that?" He turned toward darkened rooms where closet and bathroom were. His heart was pounding as he frantically scanned the room looking for where his holster had ended up.

"It's just the fire, Naruto, sometimes is sounds like -"

Then Sasuke heard it. A soft shuffling sound. He saw Naruto grab his gun from the floor and with fluid grace got up and snatched the katana from its stand on the mantle. Unsheathing the sword he tossed the scabbard to the couch without a care and walked toward the noise.

"Dammit Sasuke, stay the fuck behind me!" Naruto angrily whispered. "Use the phone. Call Yamato, now!"

But Sasuke ignored him and moved with catlike precision closer toward the darkened room where the noise had come from. Naruto stayed at his side and both suddenly froze as a dark hooded figure slowly came into view.

"Don't. Fucking. Move." Naruto raised his gun and Sasuke his katana, both readying their stance.

The dim glow of the firelight barely outlined the person in front of them as it flickered all of their shadows across the rooms. The hooded figure calmly raised their hands in front of their face and then carefully pulled back their hood.

Naruto lowered his gun in shock, as a pair of dark but kind, familiar eyes were revealed.

The sound of the katana crashing to the floor filled the room as the young Uchiha gangster fell to his knees; all his strength having left him. " _Nii-san..."_

The man took a step forward. " _Yuruse... Sasuke."_

 _To be continued…_

* * *

A/N: OMG! Yes, Tandy gave you what you wanted, right? All those messages I got from all of you and oh how I had it all planned from the very beginning… well, sort of. LOL So, I hope you really enjoyed this chapter cuz I just caught myself a wicked cold and might be out of commission for a week. Even now I can barely sit at my computer. So I hope this is enough to tide you over until the next big cliffhanger! LOL Thanks again for reading and much love and many blessings to you all. (p.s. -LOVE YOU BAE!)

T.


	19. Chapter 19: Revelations

**Warning** : None, sadly. You know me by now, Dear Reader, if I can squish some smut into a chapter I will! But alas, not this time.

 **Author's note** : Okay, if you're angry at the long wait, I do not blame you! I'm angry too. Angry over the U.S. election, angry over all his cabinet choices and just downright depressed over the state of the world. Top that with personal problems and a nervousness at writing Itachi (who seems beyond mere description LOL) and that's is why this chapter took forever. Doubt is a crazy thing, Dear Reader. It will eat you up and spit you out if you let it. I have to keep reminding myself that this is fanfiction and there are no points for eloquence or unintended allegory. Pulitzer ain't looking 'round these parts, ya know?

Side note… What saved me from the shittiest 2016 ever? Yuri On Ice! OMFG could you fucking DIE?! Yes! I'm addicted. YES! I'm anxious for the Wednesday finale. And YES, I just may write a One Shot for YOI! Hahahaha! Omg, if you're reading this and haven't yet seen Yuri On Ice, YOU ARE MISSING OUT! It's truly a slice of happy like no other. And damn if it didn't rescue me in the nick of time. Okay… I'm done LOL, back to SNS haha!

So! I give you a much delayed chapter 19 at 14k. It answers all your questions from 18 and more! I hope you enjoy it and yes… there is definitely more to come so hang on to your skirts, ladies! There's an east wind coming so mind your britches! As always, thank you again for reading and blessings to you all.

 **Disclaimer** **:** Kishi makes the bank. Tandy's bank is blank.

 ****AND** to my special KizuBae… I always say thank you so much for all your help and encouragement but truthfully, I don't know where to begin to thank you for all you bring to my writing and to my life. Love you long time, Bae. 3

* * *

 **Chapter 19** : Revelations

Sasuke struggled for breath.

After days of wondering what the point of anything was anymore and what there would be left for him once he defeated Madara and Naruto had gone to California, the last of his world tilted sideways and he fell to knees at the sight in front of him; frozen in shock and gaping at the brother he assumed for dead.

Naruto stood by, unable to move and not knowing whether to go to Sasuke or to stand back and give the brothers the space to work this, whatever this was, out on their own. His eyes darted to the dark figure in front of him. _Itachi._ Aside from the fact that he had seen the man enough times to recognize him, there was of course the uncanny resemblance to Sasuke to confirm his identity. Naruto looked to where Sasuke had fallen and fought the instinct to rush to his side. Now was not the time for sentimental coddling, he reasoned. The full weight of what this all meant wasn't lost on Naruto and he knew Sasuke would need a moment to take it all in. _Hell,_ he thought, as his eyes moved from one brother to the other, _I need a fucking moment._

His mind raced with questions of how had his brother managed to escape death and where had he been all this time and what must Sasuke be feeling to, _oh my god, I'm not wearing a shirt and I'm clothed in Sasuke's pajamas._ A light heat touched his cheeks and Naruto's heart began to pound.

The man standing before them stepped closer but Sasuke raised his hand to stop him.

Instantly, Sasuke regained his composure. He took in a breath, closed his mouth and worked to get himself back in control. With his eyes cast up at his brother, a quiet anger began to simmer within him. _Where had Itachi been?_ What kind of person would let his family believe he was dead only to come back after so much that could never be repaired had happened? Sasuke set his jaw hard and felt a bitter rage begin to rise within him.

"Uh, you must be, uh, Itachi," Naruto fumbled but quickly tried again. "I've heard a lot about you. All good, of course, heh." Naruto gave him a tentative smile. He knew his face probably still showed a light blush of embarrassment but he couldn't seem to pull his gaze away from the man he knew to be Uchiha Itachi.

Naruto's mind recalled the times he had seen Itachi in front of The Palace years ago, and other than the weariness that now burdened his features, the man was as sublime as the day Naruto last saw him. It was evident he shared Sasuke's refined and elegant good looks, but compared to Sasuke, the elder's dark eyes were unmatched in their depth. Same porcelain skin, same rich dark hair - Itachi's much longer and tied out of the way behind his back - but it was the older Uchiha's eyes that drew Naruto in. Command and kind wisdom emanated from them leading Naruto to believe that, like Sasuke, Itachi was capable of both kindness _and_ a fury beyond a scope he couldn't imagine. After all, Naruto had witnessed Sasuke's temper several times over, but something about the quiet controlled calm of the man in front of him told him that the older would never let his self-control slip and a shiver went through the blond at the thought of what it would be like if he did. _I hope he never gets angry at me,_ he thought and swallowed down the notion.

"And you must be, Naruto." Itachi said in a deep silk-laden voice, snapping Naruto out of his mesmerized state.

Sasuke's eyes filled with a fiery wrath as he looked up to see Naruto scrub his blond hair and awkwardly walk toward his brother in some attempt to introduce himself.

" _Yameru!"_ Sasuke shouted and stood up, facing Itachi.

"Still trying to win my sword, _otouto?"_

Sasuke looked down and realized he had picked up the katana and was now gripping it tight.

"I am prepared to face your anger, little brother, but perhaps we could schedule a spar at a later time." Itachi's eyes softened. "There is much we need to talk about at the moment."

"Like where the fuck you've been? Why you let me and our parents believe you were dead? And why you are here now? _When it's too late!"_ With the katana still clutched in his hand, Sasuke moved toward his brother.

"Sasuke."

The younger paused in his tracks. "Stay out of this, Naruto," Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

Itachi made no move to back away. He calmly looked at his brother and waited to see what he would do.

Sasuke lowered his chin and his whole body tensed. He had barely lifted his foot to take a step forward when Naruto suddenly moved, planting himself in front of the older Uchiha, fully facing Sasuke and his wrath, as well as the katana in his hand.

"Goddammit, Naruto!"

"No." The blond's voice was flat but heavy with determination. "Your anger has made enough bad decisions. Now's not the time, Sasuke."

Before Sasuke could say another word, Naruto turned and faced Itachi. "Heh, I guess emotions are running high." His awkwardness at having been caught half naked in Sasuke's bedroom finally winning out over his initial shock of Itachi being back from the dead and the dangerous mood of Sasuke. "I think we could all use a drink," he added and again his hand went to scrub the back of his neck. "Heh, I'll uh, I'll open some wine." And with that, he walked off in search of the bottle he had earlier brought back from the other room.

When Naruto turned from him to speak to Itachi, Sasuke immediately noticed how the way the light from the fireplace cast a dark shadow over the scars on Naruto's back. The flickering flames caused an eerie play of gold to dance over each painful reminder of the tale Sasuke had heard from his lover only a few short hours ago. Sasuke stilled at the sight.

Though still furious at his brother, some of the wind left his sail, remembering how he had lost his temper the night before and had thrown Naruto out of Pierrepont in a fit of rage. He also remembered how easily and without condition the blond had forgiven him and then opened up to him about his traumatic childhood. Slowly Sasuke's anger began to dissipate into a low irritable thrum. And when he watched Naruto walk off in search of the booze, he felt himself loosen his hold on the sword in his hand as he stood there, finally face to face with his brother.

Though his face gave nothing away, Itachi's eyes danced in the firelight. "It seems he's been a good influence on you, _otouto_. I like him."

"Tch." A light heat settled in Sasuke's cheeks and he quickly turned away. He went back to the couch and grabbed for the scabbard. Sliding the katana back in, he returned it to the stand on the fireplace mantle.

"Sasuke _._ " Itachi was suddenly behind him and Sasuke turned around to face him. He placed a gentle hand on his young brother's shoulder. "I know I didn't make it back in time and left you to handle it all on your own."

For a moment, Sasuke's eyes dimmed. But as the emotion from losing his parents and once again standing in the presence of his brother began to overwhelm him, he fought against it. "I'm fully capable of handling it all on my own," he said and brushed Itachi's hand away.

Itachi didn't respond and Sasuke walked back to the small black table where the still unopened wine bottle was sitting, and looked around for Naruto. Hearing a loud _thump_ , Sasuke turned and saw Naruto was lifting a large armchair, carrying it from the study toward where they were at the fireplace.

"And so strong too," Itachi whispered from behind and Sasuke clenched his jaw, feeling another flash of warmth color his face.

Glad his brother was now standing behind him, Sasuke freely watched Naruto heft the large chair. Thankfully, the blond had put on one of his sleeveless shirts before coming back, but even with his torso covered, it wasn't hard to miss the way the blond's athletic form was now flexing and straining from the weight of the chair. A strange feeling filled him at the knowledge that Itachi was paying close attention to Naruto's physique as well.

Sasuke looked to the couch and pushed one end farther back and away from the fireplace to make room for the chair Naruto was bringing. Once the chair was set down, Naruto went to work on the wine and left the two brothers to figure out the rest.

The younger turned to his brother and held a hand out toward the chair. Itachi nodded in thanks and reached for his collar, undoing the clasp on his cloak. The black fabric rippled through the air as he tugged at it and pulled it off in one sweeping motion. He then laid the cloak over the back of the chair and sat down.

The silence was deafening. Sasuke took a seat on the couch and faced his brother. Though both men stayed quiet, they took in the sight of each other with deadly precision. Sasuke marked Itachi's black suit and longer hair, while his brother took note of Sasuke's darker eyes and taller frame.

The stress lines around Itachi's eyes told Sasuke his brother needed sleep and Sasuke's mussed hair told Itachi that his little brother had finally learned to relax a little. His sharp eyes darted to where the blond was pouring them each a glass of wine and then back to Sasuke. The younger didn't miss the motion and leaned back against the couch cushion, again wondering why Itachi was showing so much interest in the blond.

Itachi caught his brother's curious look and almost smirked at the implication. He knew he would have to face Sasuke's fury once he returned, but he never thought he'd have to face his jealousy as well.

Sasuke noted the gleam in Itachi's eyes and hated him for it. _How dare he find any kind of amusement at time like this._ A low heat of anger simmered inside of him. He felt like a fool for every time he longed for his brother and each time he indulged in bittersweet nostalgia of happy times from their youth. Now here he was sitting in front of him, tossing jokes about Naruto and acting as if he had any right to do so. Sasuke took in a deep breath and realized he didn't want to hear Itachi's story. He didn't want empty excuses and logical alibis. What he wanted was to be angry and pummel his brother into the floor with his fists until all the rage and pain from the last year of his life was spent. Clenching his jaw, Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his precious brother and wickedly hoped Itachi's next few words would give him reason to.

"Here you go, uh, Itachi," Naruto said and handed a wine glass to the older Uchiha.

"Thank you, Naruto," he replied.

"Yeah, about that." Naruto paused in front of him. "How do you know my name?"

"My brother has a contact here in New York." Naruto spun around and faced Sasuke. The younger's face was now hard and dark as he motioned to Naruto. "I think I'll take that wine now."

Naruto handed him the glass and then looked back at Itachi, waiting for his answer.

The older Uchiha gave no indication he was surprised by Sasuke's revelation. "Yes, I have someone here who has kept me informed. More or less," Itachi said from around his wine glass.

Sasuke's anger rose. "Someone you trust more than your own brother. Like that white haired idiot, Kakashi. Is he hiding in the shadows of my closet as well?"

Again, Itachi's demeanor gave nothing away as he spoke. "Kakashi does not know I have returned."

"Well, it seems your cruelty knows no bounds, dear brother. Aren't we the lucky ones you leave in your wake," Sasuke bit out and Naruto couldn't help but cringe at the words.

 _Hell hath no fury like Sasuke scorned,_ Naruto thought and sipped his wine hoping his lover's temperament would soon improve.

"It wasn't by choice," Itachi answered and let out a sigh. "I think it would be better if I started from the beginning."

"Yes, would you? Start with how you decided letting your family think you were dead wasn't by choice." Sasuke huffed and stood up but Naruto was suddenly there.

"Your brother is here," he said quietly. "Maybe listening to his story would help you understand why he was gone..." Naruto leaned in close and in a near whisper added, "... and why you should be happy he's back." Naruto gave Sasuke a gentle smile and then walked to sit down at the farther end of the couch.

Still standing, Sasuke stared at his brother as he finished off his glass and then moved away to refill it. "Please, enlighten us then," Sasuke said while he poured himself more wine, not looking up.

Itachi stretched out his legs and crossed them at the ankles. Taking a deep sigh, he closed his eyes. Finally, he looked up and regarded both his brother and Naruto.

"The night of the explosion at the docks, I was given an anonymous tip that Madara would be at Greenwood to meet a shipment of opium arriving from China."

"And you trusted that this person wasn't trying to set you up?" Sasuke had returned to the couch and sat down.

"Of course not. However, I did know about Madara's deal with the Hyuga Clan and I did know the anonymous caller was sympathetic to my aims."

"What aims?" Sasuke asked.

Itachi kept his eyes on his brother. "To try and take down both Madara and the Hyuga from the inside." He took a slow sip from his glass and swallowed.

Naruto listened with amazement. Sasuke's brother had been trying bring down Madara from the beginning. Not because he was vying for power or out of some kind of revenge but because it was the right thing to do. Naruto rested his eyes on Sasuke and wondered what he thought of his brother's hidden agenda.

There was no surprise on Sasuke's face at his brother's words. He knew Naruto was looking at him, waiting for his reaction at finding out his brother was actively taking measures to destroy what he had worked so hard to achieve, but he had none to offer. He had already known his brother detested the clans move toward the selling and distribution of opium so there was no surprise there. In fact, the only emotion Sasuke felt at his brother's revelation was the hard, cold sting of resentment. That once again his brother had thought him too young and naive to include him in his plans.

"With those two things in mind," Itachi continued, "I went to the docks not entirely convinced it wasn't a setup but also with the knowledge that if it wasn't, this was my chance to stop the shipment from reaching Brooklyn," Itachi said and finished off his wine.

Naruto stood up from the couch to refill the older Uchiha's glass but Itachi held up a hand. "It's been a long night for me. Any more liquor and I doubt I'll be able to fend off sleep."

Instead, the elder got up and set the glass atop the fireplace mantle. Eyeing his old katana, Itachi went on. "When I arrived at Greenwood, I wandered the warehouses looking for any sign of a shipment having come in. There was no cargo ship. No containers of any kind. Realizing I had been set up, I made my way back across the dock when I spotted Obito walking towards me."

Itachi turned to face Sasuke. "He told me my days of meddling were done and that he and Madara would see to it I was removed from my position within the clan. I told him the council would never agree to it and he said it had already been done."

Sasuke kept his gaze on his brother. "So it was Obito who was with Madara that night."

Itachi nodded. "As soon as he walked off, I scanned the area, expecting to be taken out by gunmen hiding in the shadows. With the sea on my right and the warehouses to my back, I had only a moment to decide." He sat back down in the large armchair. "It was the sound of a far off car horn that saved my life. It snapped me out of distraction. I moved to dive into the harbor just as the dock exploded, and was spared from the dangerous flying debris but was knocked unconscious from the blast."

"Why didn't you return once you recovered?" Sasuke asked, his tone belaying much of the turmoil he was feeling.

His brother however, didn't miss the intonation and captured Sasuke's eyes with his own. "When I finally came to, I found myself in unfamiliar surroundings. The person who pulled me from the harbor and nursed me back to health had hid me away in safe house in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania."

"You had a funeral without a body?" Naruto interrupted and looked over at Sasuke.

But Sasuke ignored him. "Who rescued you?" Sasuke pressed.

Itachi shook his head. "I don't know. He never told me his name."

"I don't believe you," Sasuke snapped back. "You're lying to me again." The anger was now heated and surface ready.

Sensing the shift, Itachi held up his hand. "I don't know his name. To this day he refuses to give me one. What I do know is that he was my anonymous informant and he works for the U.S. Government."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his sibling but said nothing.

"He had been fed the wrong information about the shipments and went after me at the docks. It was his car horn I heard in the distance."

"Why tip you off?" Sasuke demanded. "If he works with the government, he could've intervened. Why send you?"

Itachi pulled his shoulders slightly back. "As I said, he knew I was actively working against the clans move to distribute drugs. But due to certain restraints placed on him, he couldn't act without definitive proof."

"So rather than take the risk himself, he tipped you off."

"Yes."

"You surprise me, Itachi," Sasuke said. "I ever imagined you let yourself be used as bait."

"We had the same goal. It was a means to an end, little brother. Madara needed to be stopped and I saw no difference in having his help or going it alone."

Frustration was building within Sasuke. He knew his brother was still holding something back. He could read it on his face. He stood up from the couch and walked to the small table. Leaving his wine glass empty he reached for the crystal and poured himself a large whiskey. The young Uchiha took a drink and honestly didn't know what irritated him more, the fact that his brother still didn't trust him or that he still considered Sasuke too young and stupid to see through his lies.

Despite the tantrum he could see his brother was gearing up for, Itachi went on. "The man who helped me said he was working with the United States Marshall in an undercover sting operation to take down all the Japanese clans in Brooklyn. Now that I had been declared dead, he said I was free of being charged and prosecuted with the rest of the clans."

"Shit," Naruto mumbled and turned to Sasuke. "How did we miss that?"

"There was no way you could have known," Itachi added. "When I began my attempts to stall the opium deal, I had no idea the clans were already infiltrated by the U.S. Government. They were very efficient at keeping their positions unknown."

Naruto nodded. "This changes everything," he said quietly.

Itachi caught the comment but was cut off before he could ask Naruto to elaborate.

"And so you let us all believe you were dead," Sasuke spat out. "Why? To save your own ass?"

"Sasuke," Naruto said in a low voice.

"No, I want to hear him say it. Was that the way it was, Itachi? And that's why you're here now? Because your guilty conscience got the better of you?"

"Sasuke, please stop."

"It's okay, Naruto," Itachi said to him and then turned to steady his eyes on his brother. "I was given a choice. Either help this man bring down the criminal factions in Brooklyn or he would inform the police I was still alive and I would be sent to jail along with you and our parents."

Sasuke took another drink but said nothing.

"He told me I wasn't allowed to contact anyone. He was afraid I would tip off my family, thereby ruining the government's case. I had no choice but to let you believe I was dead."

"Then how is it that now you're back?" Sasuke asked, finally returning to his spot on the couch.

"I cut a deal." Keeping to the same stoic expression his brother was now wearing, Itachi took a breath and leveled his dark eyes at him. "I would give him all the information he wanted if he would keep my secret and let me return before the feds made their move so I could take you and our parents out of New York and back to Japan."

"Tch." Sasuke again rose from the couch and walked away. "Are we back to that, Itachi? Japan?" He turned back and faced his brother. "Because I'm not leaving. This is my home. Brooklyn, New York. I'm not giving everything we've worked so hard for over to Madara and Obito. After all they've done? How can you even think of leaving?"

"Sasuke you're not listening. There will be nothing to claim when all is said and done. The take down of the clans will happen and once it does, there will be nothing left for us here. All this...," Itachi held out his hand signifying Pierrepont, "... will be gone. Taken as assets by the federal government."

"Then I'll start over somewhere else!"

" _Otouto…"_

"Sasuke, you'll be a wanted criminal," Naruto spoke up. "They'll hunt you d -"

"I don't care!" Shouted back at Naruto. "I'm not going back to Japan!"

Itachi glanced at the blond but quickly turned his attention back to his brother before Naruto could mark it. The older made no move and took no argument with his brother. Instead, he watched Sasuke pace around the bedroom and waited for whatever his brother had on his mind to come cascading through.

Finally stepping toward his elder, Sasuke's dark eyes glared at him. "How can you say you would rather slink away in the dark while Madara and Obito go unpunished for the death of our parents." His tone was hard and filled with revulsion.

"The justice system will take care of them."

" _I will take care of them,"_ Sasuke gritted out. "Since you seem to lack the fortitude." Holding his ground, Sasuke drank off the booze in his glass and steeled his gaze at his older brother as he swallowed down the whiskey.

Naruto looked from one brother to the other. If he thought Sasuke had been difficult to read back when they first met, Itachi was damn near impenetrable. He had caught the tiniest of reaction from the older brother back when Sasuke had allowed some of his emotion to overtake him at seeing his brother alive but now, as Naruto scanned his face, he could find no crack in Itachi's calm veneer.

For a moment the two brothers faced off, staring each other down; an age old battle of wills the two had no doubt perfected some time during their youth. Without a sound, Itachi broke away and glanced down at the wood floor of the room and then stood up. With eyes dark as the fire lit embers popping nearby, he latched his sights on his younger brother and with elegant purposeful strides he went to where Sasuke stood waiting.

Stopping a mere two feet from Sasuke, Itachi drew himself up and though close in height, seemed to tower over the younger. "I traveled the oceans twice and journeyed from one end of this country to the other in equal fashion _for you_ , dear brother. It is not fortitude I lack, but the will to let you, whom I love, slip away to the same fate as our parents." Itachi's eyes seared into Sasuke's and Naruto watched it all, frozen on the couch.

Sasuke opened his mouth to retort but Itachi moved with near invisible speed. He closed the distance between them and shot out a hand, gently pulling his brother by the back of his head toward him until both their foreheads rested against each other.

"I will not leave you to this life, _otouto._ I didn't make it in time to save our mother and father and I will carry that guilt with me for the rest of my days. But you, little brother, for you I would wrath against god himself if it meant saving you from this pathetic excuse for a life."

The sting to Sasuke's eyes was immediate. A deep scowl formed on his brow as he fought against the tide threatening to overtake him. He clenched his jaw and tried to swallow down the painful ache in his throat and knew if he didn't yank himself away from his brother now, there would be no stopping the floodgates. Sasuke gave a half-hearted tug against Itachi's grip but the older didn't budge.

" _Yuruse, Sasuke,"_ Itachi said in a smooth even tone filled with the emotion his face could not show. And with that, Sasuke hitched in his breath and slow steady tears began to fall from his eyes.

Naruto lowered his own eyes from the scene and made a stealthy exit out the bedroom door. Once on the veranda, he let out a deep sigh and cast his eyes to the New York skyline. It couldn't have been any later than four in the morning but already a soft light was brushing the night sky. Sunrise probably wasn't too far off, he thought. Down on one of the tables, he saw a pack of cigarettes and his hands quickly patted his pants in search of matches.

 _Shit._ He was still wearing Sasuke's pajamas. A scan of the table revealed a box of matches and Naruto snatched them up.

A long trail of smoke left his lungs and he took a seat at the table, tossing the matches back down. _Itachi is alive._ In his heart he was happy for Sasuke, remembering how pained the young gangster had been over the loss. Naruto couldn't stop a small smile from lifting the corner of his mouth at the fact that Sasuke was no longer alone and without family. He took another tug of his smoke and finally let his mind contemplate the new turn of events.

Itachi was back and would be taking Sasuke with him to Japan.

Naruto again filled his lungs with cigarette smoke but it did nothing to ease the hollow feeling in his chest. He looked out to the darkened landscape and finally appreciated the risk Sasuke had taken by asking Naruto to share his bed until October. Because now it wasn't Naruto who would be leaving but instead, Sasuke. The realization sent a nasty spike straight through him. And how soon would he be leaving? Both of them had figured there would be least two more months before they would be faced with separation.

Still, he thought, Itachi would make sure his brother was free of this criminal lifestyle and take him back to the safety of Japan and the thought pushed a peaceful easiness through the former hood. After all, wasn't Naruto leaving to California for a better life? Sasuke deserved the same chance. Naruto took in a deep breath and tried his best to hold onto his smile. They had their time together and Naruto was grateful for that much.

A slight crease formed on Naruto's brow. As much as he'd rather see Sasuke flee with his brother to Japan than place himself in danger from their planned clan coup, Naruto knew the subject of their plan needed to be addressed. There was Konan to think of and Kakashi. People had already put their lives on the line and deals have been made to help Sasuke take out Madara. If Itachi meant to leave for Japan immediately, then that meant Naruto would have to see it all finished. He agreed that Sasuke should escape from all this, but it wasn't as simple as Itachi made it all sound. Taking another drag from his cigarette, Naruto blew out a worrisome sigh and wondered just how much Sasuke would end up divulging to Itachi, and what his brother would have to say about it all.

"Naruto."

The blond jumped up and whipped around to find Itachi watching him from the study. "Hey," he said and snuffed out his cigarette in the ashtray. "I just stepped out for a smoke."

The older Uchiha stepped closer but his eyes remained impassive. "Thank you for the moment of privacy."

"Heh, uh, well I know you both have a lot to catch up on that doesn't concern me."

Itachi lifted his head slightly at Naruto's words and the blond approached him.

"And I know Sasuke probably wants to fill you in on everything that's happened since you been gone," Naruto added. "It wasn't hard to see how much it had hurt him or how much he missed talking to you and asking your advice."

"My advice?" Itachi responded and a soft gleam came to his eyes.

"Well yeah, I mean…" Not knowing why, Naruto suddenly felt nervous. "There were times he told me that he wondered what you would have done in a given situation."

"Did he…?" Itachi mused.

Naruto gave the older brother an inquisitive look. "You two _were_ close, weren't you?"

Itachi regarded the man in front of him. "I'd like to think we still are."

"Oh hey, I didn't mean it like that." Naruto put up a hand. "I'm sorry if I -"

"It's alright, Naruto. I know you didn't. I just think at the moment you might have more influence with my brother than I do."

"I don't think that's true at all." Naruto moved even closer to the dark haired man. "Sasuke was deeply hurt over losing you. Right now, he's just pissed; throwing one of his tantrums over having been left out of your plans. He'll get over it." A slow grin grew on his face. "You'll see."

A slight twitch lifted the corner of Itachi's mouth but Naruto missed it, as Sasuke chose that moment to walk out of his bedroom door. He noticed the younger Uchiha was now wearing a long sleeve cotton shirt and smiled at his lover's choice to show a little modesty.

"Yamato is bringing up some food," Sasuke told them.

"You woke him up?" Naruto couldn't imagine Yamato being very happy about having to get up at this ungodly hour.

"He'll be happy I did, once he sees our new guest." Sasuke moved closer to Naruto and his brother, eyeing both with interest.

"You think it's a good idea? Letting people know Itachi is alive?" Naruto asked.

"Yamato has been with our family since I was a child," Itachi answered. "We can trust him implicitly." The older Uchiha motioned for them to follow him to the receiving room and both Naruto and Sasuke trailed after.

"Sasuke never mentioned it?" Itachi asked as he led them into the larger room.

Though, Itachi didn't glance back, Naruto shook his head and then cast a look at Sasuke.

"It didn't come up." The younger answered without turning to meet Naruto's gaze.

"Hn. Well, Yamato was orphaned during our journey to America and my parents took him in," Itachi continued. "Due to prejudices, he was home schooled just as Sasuke and I were, to insure a proper education. When he came of age, he decided to stay with us and has since devoted himself to our family."

Itachi began turning on the lights while Sasuke cleared the table for use. Naruto noticed the way the older brother kept a safe distance from the windows in the room as he walked to and fro and Naruto's eyes darted to Sasuke and then back again to Itachi. _Uchihas,_ he thought. _They never miss a thing._

"My parents told him he didn't need to repay us for taking him in but Yamato appointed himself our caretaker and would not be budged," Sasuke finished.

Naruto listened to the brothers and nodded. "He's family."

Itachi and Sasuke turned and looked at Naruto.

"Yes," Itachi said. "He is."

As heartwarming as the reunion between Yamato and Itachi had been, it had made Naruto a bit uncomfortable to watch. Once the stern looking man pulled the long lost Uchiha in for a full embrace, Naruto again made his way to the veranda for a smoke.

"Food's getting cold."

Naruto turned around to see Sasuke standing nearby.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke looked curiously at Naruto.

"Yeah, just wanted a cigarette."

Sasuke moved closer to him and Naruto saw a flash of worry touch his dark eyes.

The former street hood let out a sigh. "Okay, so I didn't want to intrude on the family moment. No big deal," he said and then crushed his cig out.

Picking up on Naruto's unease, Sasuke went to him and snaked an arm around his waist, tugging him close. He leaned in and tenderly kissed Naruto's bottom lip then top one, before pressing his mouth over his lover's fully; languidly tasting him and kissing him deep and sensually.

A soft moan pulsed from Naruto's throat that only made Sasuke increase the passion of the kiss.

Naruto felt an uncomfortable tightening in the front of his pants and, gasping, pulled back. "Sasuke, you're gonna make it difficult for me to walk if you keep that up."

Sasuke smiled against his lips. "That's the plan."

"You're such a bastard." Naruto smiled and stepped out of Sasuke's arms. "Need a minute to cool down. You should warn a guy before you kiss like that."

"I just wanted to show you," Sasuke said in a low voice as he came up behind Naruto and circled his arms around his waist.

"Show me what?" Naruto stilled.

"That I'm staying here. I have no intention of going to Japan."

"Sasuke." Naruto pulled away and turned to face him. "I agree with Itachi. Getting away from all this is the right thing to do. You heard what he said. It's only a matter of time before the clans are taken out. Stay here much longer and you'll end up in prison."

Sasuke's jaw tightened. "I'm not going anywhere until Madara _and_ Obito pay for what they've done."

"Konan and I... and Kakashi, we'll see it done. You have my word."

A dark cloud passed over Sasuke's eyes. "I already have your word. To stay until this is finished… with me. Or did you forget?"

"Sasuke…" Naruto said softly.

A noise from behind them drew their attention.

"Yamato just left and considering the effort he took in bringing us this meal at four in the morning, I think we should show our appreciation and eat it while it's still hot, don't you?" Despite his words, there was no humor in Itachi's voice.

Naruto glanced back at Sasuke and then tugged on his arm. "C'mon. I don't think your brother is finished with his story." Not giving Sasuke a chance to respond, Naruto hurried after Itachi.

Sasuke watched Naruto walk off. The blond was holding back, he was sure of it. Why was Naruto pushing him to leave for Japan when he knew things here were still unfinished? Regardless of their agreement that Naruto and Gaara would stay until October, Sasuke had thought that things between him and Naruto would have been enough of a reason for the blond to want Sasuke to remain in New York. Had he been wrong?

 _He's already saying goodbye._ An unfamiliar feeling burned slow from his gut to his chest and down his neck, washing his skin in a heat that turned ice cold immediately after. Slowly he walked to the entryway as his mind frantically scoured each possible outcome. If he left for Japan. If he stayed. If Naruto kept his word about October and if he didn't. Sasuke didn't like the outcomes. Each one still had the two of them parting once all was said and done.

As he stepped through the entryway, Sasuke ran a hand through this hair and took in the sight of his brother and Naruto at the table. It was clear Itachi liked the blond. Without realizing it, Sasuke pulled his shoulders back at the sight of his older brother slightly smirking at Naruto's colorful description of the feast laid out in front of him. And god knows how many times Naruto had reminded Sasuke of the gentle righteousness of the only person whose opinion mattered to him.

His heart banged hard in his chest. But what could he do? Sasuke neared the table and took a seat. No matter what scenario he played out, soon Naruto would be in California and he most likely in Japan.

"I never had pancakes." Naruto stared down at his plate. He then lifted his bright blue eyes at Sasuke who had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling at the man.

Sasuke cleared his throat. "You'll like them. Try the syrup."

"There's syrup too?"

Sasuke darted his eyes away and he bit down harder. _Damn blond._ Looking up, he caught Itachi's eyes staring straight at him and damned if they weren't amused. "Shut up," Sasuke snapped.

Itachi opened his mouth but it was Naruto to replied. "Huh?"

"Nothing," Sasuke mumbled and reached for the coffee.

After a few bites in, Sasuke glanced around the table. He took a drink of his coffee and looked across at his brother. Immediately, Itachi locked eyes with him.

"I'm not leaving." Sasuke swallowed down the hot brew and leaned back into his chair.

Naruto slowed his chewing and watched both brothers with interest.

"Fine," Itachi replied matter of factly. "Tell me why."

"I told you why," Sasuke answered. "I'm not leaving without avenging the death of our parents." Sasuke set down his coffee cup and held his brother's gaze.

"Is that the only reason?"

"Do you need another?" Sasuke shot back.

Itachi set down his fork and took up his napkin. "You already have a plan in place." There was no question in Itachi's voice as he tossed his napkin onto the table and waited for Sasuke's response.

"Somewhat, yes."

"Somewhat?"

Already Sasuke was irritated by his brother's implication that he didn't know what he was doing. "Madara is making his move. He won't let the opportunity of now having father out of the way pass him by. Our timetable needs to be recalibrated. We need to push our plans ahead, full steam."

Itachi let out a deep sigh and leaned back in his chair. "I was in San Francisco when I got word of the shootout in the club." His dark eyes looked to Naruto and then back to his brother. "And by then, the telegram was over a month old. I raced back to New York but…"

Sasuke nodded slow and cast his eyes downward.

"How did you end up in San Francisco?" Naruto asked.

"I boarded a ship from San Francisco to Japan and returned to the states via the same port."

Sasuke had been reaching for his cigarettes on the table and stopped. "So you did go back," he said and looked up at his brother.

"Once I was fully recovered, I took a train and headed west. I boarded a ship to Japan to try and secure a place for when I was able to bring you and our parents back with me. I returned to the small village where we once lived and was able to locate a few from our clan that remained."

Sasuke dropped his gaze and reached again for his smokes. Lighting one, he then slid the pack to Naruto and blew out a long train of smoke and rested his eyes on his brother. " _Otōsan,_ said there was no clan left in Konoha."

"He was wrong." Itachi's voice was flat but hard and both Naruto and Sasuke marked the weight of his words.

Still enjoying his pancakes, Naruto pushed the cigarettes across to Itachi and continued to enjoy his breakfast.

Letting out a slow breath, Sasuke finally spoke. "What did you find?"

Itachi took hold of the cigarettes but made no move to pick them up. He tapped the pack on the table and considered the question. "A few remaining Uchiha and a place we can call home once we leave this country."

"I'm not leaving." Sasuke's demeanor remained unchanged but Naruto set down his fork, recognizing the prelude to a Sasuke anger blowout.

"So you say," Itachi answered. " _Otouto…_ I'm not leaving New York without you. You can fight me on this if you want but come next week, our train leaves the city for the west coast and if I have to drag you kicking and screaming like a child, so be it."

"Tch. I'd like to see you try," Sasuke retorted.

Naruto's heart caught in his throat. _Next week._ Is that all the time they had left? He looked down at his plate of food; his stomach suddenly queasy. To his right, both brothers seemed again to be locked in some silent telepathic battle. The tension between the two was so thick, Naruto wondered if he should just excuse himself and let the two of them hash out their family issues on their own. After all, he wasn't family and any decision the two would eventually come to wasn't Naruto's business. Of course there still was the topic of their plans to take out Madara to consider, but as he flicked his eyes to where Sasuke sat, rigid and firm as he stared down his brother, he knew the young Uchiha would make sure to fill Itachi in on all their plans.

Pushing his plate away, Naruto slowly stood up from the table. "I, uh…" Sasuke immediately turned to him and Naruto could see the confusion peeking through his dark eyes. "I'm pretty beat. The past few days have been kinda crazy and I haven't really had much sleep," he said to Sasuke and then glanced to Itachi as well.

Both Uchiha's were now watching him intently. Naruto backed away from the table and pushed in his chair. "Breakfast was amazing, heh and I'm… it's great that you're back." He waved a hand out toward Itachi. "And, uh, I know you both have a lot to figure out so... I think I'm gonna use this opportunity to get some shut eye."

"Naruto." Sasuke stood up from the table.

"No, it's alright, really." Naruto smiled at him. "I got rounds in a few hours and a meeting to plan."

He saw Sasuke's eyes acknowledge his meaning before he looked back to the older brother. "Welcome back, Itachi. I'm glad to have finally met you."

"Likewise, Naruto." Itachi's eyes darted to his brother and he leaned back in his chair, already knowing Sasuke had no intention of letting the blond leave without an explanation.

"I'll walk you out," Sasuke said tersely and followed after Naruto into the study.

Naruto walked through the study and into Sasuke's bedroom. He headed to the closet where his pants were, knowing Sasuke would follow him. As he reached down to grab his cords that were laying on the floor, he took a deep breath and then turned and faced Sasuke.

"Why are you leaving?"

Already Naruto could hear the irritation in Sasuke's voice.

"Because you two need to talk. He's your brother, Sasuke. Your family. I know you said you're not leaving but whatever you choose, you both need to talk it over."

"And you're not interested in the outcome?"

Naruto let out a sigh. "You know I am. But..."

"But what, Naruto?" Sasuke took a step closer and bore his eyes into the blue ones staring back at him. "Why are you already saying goodbye?"

"I'm not." Naruto swallowed down the lump in his throat. "I'm just going downstairs to get some sleep. I'll be back in a few hours after I check in with the crew and finish rounds." Naruto looked down at the pants in his hands and decided he should probably change out of the pajama bottoms if he was going to be heading down to the apartment.

He began taking off the drawstring pants and putting on his corduroys. He then looked up and flashed a smile at Sasuke. "At least your brother didn't show up earlier." He wagged his eyebrows. " _That_ would've been embarrassing."

" _Dobe."_ A small smirk lifted at the corner of Sasuke's mouth.

Once changed, Naruto stepped closer to him and Sasuke immediately took hold of his waist, tugging him in close.

"I'm not saying goodbye," Naruto said quietly and Sasuke's eyes latched onto his lips.

"Good," Sasuke said and leaned in. His warm breath ghosted across Naruto's mouth and he felt somewhat comforted by the shiver that went through the blond. Naruto still desired him. He could still make his lover succumb to his passion without fail.

"If you're not back in a few hours, I'll drag you back here myself," Sasuke said against Naruto's lips.

Naruto smiled at the familiar words and kissed his lover gently. Sasuke pulled him tighter, trying to put more force into the kiss but Naruto stepped back and stared into the dark eyes now searching his own.

"There's still time," Naruto in a low voice and smiled. "I'll be back later."

Sasuke didn't answer as Naruto moved back and stepped past him. He followed him through the bedroom as Naruto grabbed his boots and headed for the study door.

"Go talk to your brother." Naruto said and looked back as he stepped out onto the fourth floor landing. "And try to remember, he loves you."

"Tch. _Dobe._ And how do you know that?"

Naruto stopped in his tracks and turned back. He walked directly up to Sasuke and leveled his eyes at him. "Because he knows you're better than this criminal lifestyle and is willing to face your wrath as well as the Federal Government in order to rescue you from it."

Sasuke's throat went dry and he swallowed trying to ease the uncomfortable feeling.

Naruto held his gaze for a brief moment longer and then smiled soft at him before turning away and heading down the staircase. Sasuke watched him go and blinked. A warm heat built up at the base of his neck and slowly rose higher until his entire face felt flushed. He forced his mind to push away the memory of the last time Naruto had told him something similar but it was no good. His heart rate seemed to agree with his assumption and he momentarily looked around almost forgetting where he was.

Then in an instant, he remembered his brother was waiting and he ran a shaky hand through his hair as he turned back toward his rooms and closed the study door.

* * *

Naruto tossed and turned in his bed for close to an hour before he finally gave up and got up to shower. _Madara. Itachi. And now the Feds._ Drying himself off and putting on a fresh suit wasn't enough of a distraction. Just a few weeks ago, everything had felt like it was spiraling out of control, but now, Naruto felt his whole world was on the brink of total collapse.

He glanced at the clock in his room. The crew was probably already up and meeting in the manor. Not bothering with a tie, Naruto turned to the dresser and froze. He left his gun and holster back in Sasuke's room. Naruto ran a hand through his hair and let out a heavy sigh.

Up in Sasuke's room, he and Itachi were planning their trip back to Japan. _Next week,_ his mind whispered and he wondered how everything would play out until then. What about Madara? Would Sasuke end up making good on his vow to not leave without retribution? Naruto shook his head. Everything was so messed up. How was this all going to work? If Sasuke leaves with his brother to Japan and Naruto joined up with Konan to take Madara down, how would he avoid getting caught by the feds? Was it even possible to see their plans to the end? Though he had no intention of returning to Sasuke's room so soon, Naruto knew there were too many unanswered questions floating around in his head. He would have to talk to both brothers before any sort of meeting could be planned.

But first, he had rounds. He stepped out of his bedroom and came to an abrupt stop at the sight of Gaara on the couch.

"Hey, Gaara! Sorry about yesterday. Ya gotta shift for me? I can take the perimeter if you want." Naruto walked toward him.

"Hey, Naru." Gaara looked up from the newspaper he was reading and noticed the tired state of his friend. "You need more sleep."

"Don't I know it." Naruto threw himself down onto the other end of the sofa and yawned. "Long day yesterday and still not much closer to figuring out how we're going to speed things up." Naruto knew he shouldn't mention Itachi being back, but silently hoped he'd be able to bring his best friend into the loop sooner rather than later.

"Well, you can go back to bed if you want. Yamato met us in the kitchen earlier and let everyone know that Sasuke cancelled the lock down."

Naruto sat up straight. "Why?"

"He said Madara wouldn't strike so soon after the funeral." Gaara folded the paper and tossed it to the coffee table. "Then he told us that you were planning a meeting and that we were all to stand by until we heard from you."

"Yeah." Naruto looked down and felt the beginnings of a headache.

"You gonna fill me in?" Gaara asked.

Naruto lifted his head. "Nothing's been set yet," he answered. "There's still a few things I have to go over with Sasuke before I can plan everything."

"Sounds heavy."

"He wants everyone there. Our crew, Konan's and…"

Gaara sent his friend a questioning look.

"He wants me to bring in Shika." A guilty look flooded Naruto's eyes. "I told Sasuke I didn't want him involved but he promised me that Shika would be kept far from the final take down and that he only wanted to use him as a source for information."

"Well, he's not wrong for wanting him." Gaara tried to ease Naruto's guilt. "Sasuke's a smart guy, Naru. A man like him wouldn't miss how helpful Shika's been since we started working with him."

"I still feel like shit for bringing him into this in the first place." Naruto scrubbed his face and leaned back into the couch cushions. "I just never imagined things would get this dangerous." Naruto's mind immediately went to the new information regarding the undercover sting operation and he began chewing on his bottom lip.

The redhead stared at him. "You were expecting less danger when we joined up with a powerful Japanese crime family?

Naruto threw his best friend a slanted look. "No, but I do feel like the world's biggest idiot for joining up in the first place." Naruto leaned his head back and stared up at the ceiling. "I really fucked up, Gaara." Naruto rolled his head to the side and looked back at him. "I'm sorry… for everything."

"If you're trying to take all the blame, don't. I knew what I was getting into and I came along for the ride anyway."

"Yeah but you wouldn't have if I hadn't pushed you."

"You didn't push that hard, Naru." Gaara gave him a stern look. "Yeah I wouldn't have joined without you but I also wouldn't have left for California without you either."

Both friends stared at each other.

"I go where you go," Gaara said without a trace of doubt in his voice.

Naruto let a small smile reach his eyes. "And I go where you go," he answered back.

"And if Sasuke's anything, he's a man of his word," Gaara added. "He'll keep Shika outta the fray and you and I both know Shika's smart enough to come outta all this unscathed."

Naruto let out a soft chuckle. "Since when did you start liking Sasuke?"

"It's not about liking him," Gaara answered. "The man is what he is."

Naruto smirked at his best friend, feeling somewhat better at Gaara's steadfast belief that Naruto wasn't entirely to blame. Still, he couldn't ignore the twist in his gut at the knowledge that he and Gaara were in more danger than the redhead knew.

"Maybe I should try and get some more rest," Naruto said after a moment. "I have to meet with Sasuke again later today. Won't do me any good if I'm out of sorts."

Naruto stretched his arms and watched Gaara pick his newspaper back up. He glanced around the apartment and again froze at the sudden realization. "Where's Sakura?"

Gaara didn't look up from his paper. "Sai took her to the club. She said she was tired of being cooped up in the apartment and went to the club to work on a new song for when Sasuke decided to open the club back up."

It only took the blond a few seconds to see Gaara was doing his best to not look up from his paper. And he was about to let it alone when the memory of their talk on the roof of The Palace nightclub flashed in his mind.

"Is it serious?"

A very odd feeling of warmth touched Gaara's cheeks. He couldn't help furrowing his brows at the unfamiliar sensation and then quickly regretted it when he turned to see Naruto with a concerned look on his face. Looking down at the newspaper in his hands, he slowly folded it and placed it back on the table.

"I don't think I have an answer for you."

Naruto tilted his head, confused. "The other morning… you weren't sleeping on the couch. Did something happen between then and now?"

"No. Well, yes but, not what you're thinking." Gaara shut his mouth and grimaced slightly. "It's… complicated."

A gentle laughter came from Naruto. "More complicated than getting mixed up with a dangerous gangster while helping him plan a total clan takeover?"

Gaara couldn't resist a small smirk and Naruto's eyes widened at the sight of it. "Holy shit, no way," Naruto breathed out and the redhead pulled back his smile and stared blank-faced at his friend.

"When did this, _how_ did this happen?" Naruto blurted.

"Nothing's happened," Gaara said and got up from the couch. Feeling uncomfortable, he walked past Naruto to the edge of the sofa and pushed his hands into his pockets, staring at the knife marks on the wall. "She stays with me in the room." Gaara kept his eyes on the wall and didn't turn around to meet Naruto's. "It's not… it's not like you and Sasuke… we're just… friends."

Though Gaara had his back to him, Naruto nodded in understanding all the same. "Being just friends can be complicated."

Gaara finally turned around. "I know what it looks like, the two of us sharing a room…"

"Hey, I'm the last person to judge anyone about who they share a room with." Naruto held up his hands in defense. "You're not gonna get a lecture from me but I ain't gonna lie and say I'm not surprised. Hell, I'm shocked." Naruto smiled at his best friend.

"You're not the only one."

Naruto let out a laugh, helping ease the awkwardness between them. "Well, complicated or not, just friends… or not," Naruto beamed. "You look happy and that makes me happy."

Gaara nodded slow and looked down for a moment. "It's a weird feeling."

"Being happy?" Naruto asked and Gaara looked back up.

"Feeling comfortable."

Some Naruto's grin lessened as he stared back him. "Yeah."

A soft shadow passed in front of Naruto's eyes and Gaara caught it. "How about you? Is everything alright, Naru?"

Naruto let out a long sigh. "For now," he replied and stood up. "But if I don't get some sleep soon…"

"Yeah," Gaara answered, still looking suspiciously at his friend. "Well, don't let me keep you and let me know if you need help."

"Yeah, okay," Naruto said absentmindedly. "Wait, help?"

"With the meeting." Gaara's eyes narrowed at the blond.

"Oh yeah, the meeting. Heh, I may take you up on that," Naruto said as he headed back to his room. "Thanks, Gaara."

"Sure," the redhead said, and staring after him, watched his best friend disappear into this bedroom.

* * *

Sasuke leaned back into the sofa cushions, his knees slightly widening as he finally relaxed. He'd been going over all the details of their plans to take down Madara and Itachi had grilled him thoroughly on each worst case scenario and contingency. Now with the whole of it laid out, his brother had then sat quietly with his legs stretched out in front of him and eyes closed before finally speaking.

"What's keeping you from setting it all in motion?"

"I was hoping to take on a few more men. With all the attention focused on me at the moment, hiring more crew members could draw suspicion."

"Anything else?" Itachi's eyes were now staring straight into his own.

The familiar weight of his brother's eyes easily brought back the competitive streak they'd always had with each other and he almost smiled at the feeling. "A diversion," he answered.

"Hn." Itachi stood up from the armchair and walked to the small table. Yamato had brought them more coffee and elder brother poured himself another cup, knowing there would be no sleep for him yet.

"But now you're telling me that the feds are in this," Sasuke said. "If we go ahead, chances are they'll have us all arrested before things can get that far."

"Which is why leaving is the better plan," Itachi said, his voice carefully flat and stern.

"Itachi, I am not running away," Sasuke answered back. "For better or worse, I'm seeing this through to the end. You can either help me or leave for Japan by yourself."

His brother raised a brow at him over his coffee cup. "Are you saying if I help you, you'll return with me? No argument?"

Sasuke clenched his jaw. His mind had already played out every outcome. If he stayed in New York or if he left for Japan. No matter what he chose, Naruto was still leaving for California come October. If he could convince his brother to help them finish what they had started, maybe he could buy himself time to figure out the rest before journeying back to Japan.

"Are you saying that's all it would take to get you to see this through with me?" A dark gleam came to Sasuke's eyes. "I didn't think it would be that easy."

"Nothing is that easy, _otouto."_ He took another sip of his coffee. "And I'm sure your generous concession has nothing at all to do with Naruto."

The younger tensed. "I'm not discussing Naruto with you." Sasuke got up from the couch and walked to his nightstand. Grabbing his cigarettes, he lit one and blew out a harsh breath.

"Sasuke… I'm not blind. The man is in love with you."

Sasuke turned and faced his brother, his eyes angry. "What's your fucking point?" he snapped back.

Itachi set down his coffee and leaned against the back of the couch. "If I agree to help you, you'll leave with me… to Japan?"

"I believe that's the deal on the table." Sasuke was gripping a tight hold on his anger.

"And you have no problem leaving Naruto behind?"

Sasuke threw his brother a glare and tugged hard at his cigarette. "Not that it's any of your business, but Naruto already has future plans of his own." Knowing his astute brother would be able to easily read his face, Sasuke distracted himself by walking to the small table and pouring himself a drink.

"You drink too much, _otouto."_

"And you stick your nose in my business too much," Sasuke said as he locked eyes with his brother while taking a large gulp of his whiskey.

" _You are my business_ , Sasuke."

"Tch." Sasuke took another hit from his cigarette and then clenched it between his teeth as he again set down his glass to top it off.

Itachi plucked the cig from his mouth and took a slow even pull off it. He let out a long train of smoke and then crushed the cigarette out in the ashtray on the table.

"What does Naruto have to say about all this?"

"About what?" Sasuke tried to hide the slightly panicked tone in his voice but the elder caught it and filed it away for a later use.

"About the plan. You said his friends down at the docks have been helpful. Knowing them as well as he does, I'm sure Naruto would be able to come up with some way of utilizing their talents."

Sasuke took a sip from his glass. "He's reluctant to bring them in. I mentioned wanting to meet his friend Shika and he balked at the idea of placing him in harm's way."

Itachi nodded. "Still, I think we should sit down with him before bringing in the rest of the crew."

"Then you're in this with me?"

"Yes."

At first, a satisfied feeling at getting his way, rose up in Sasuke before he suddenly halted his silent celebration and narrowed his eyes at his brother. "If the only reason you want to sit down with Naruto is to interrogate him about…"

"About what, Sasuke?" With stoic mask in place, Itachi's eyes lit up, and he slightly raised both his brows, curious to see if his brother would actually say it out loud.

Again, Sasuke gritted his teeth and glared at his brother. "I'm going to shower," he grumbled and finished off the booze in his glass before turning and heading to the bathroom.

"Should I call him up or will you?" Itachi called after.

"I hate you," Sasuke muttered under his breath and closed the bathroom door behind him.

From his spot against the velvet couch, the small smirk that had found its way onto Itachi's face slowly faded as he watched his brother walk away. _What have you gotten yourself into, otouto?_ He stared at the closed washroom door and then lifted himself from the couch and walked out to the receiving room. Finding the telephone near the back and away from the windows, Itachi called down to Yamato.

"Could you have Naruto come back up? Yes, soon. Thank you, Yamato."

Exhaustion crept into every muscle of his body and Itachi wondered how much longer he'd be able to fend off sleep. There was still too much to go over. Too many things that needed to be discussed and laid on the table. As he headed back to Sasuke's bedroom, he let himself finally look around and take in all the changes his brother had made since he'd been gone.

Everything had been replaced. From the painted walls to the bookshelves. There was no semblance of his former bedroom. Sasuke had gotten rid of it all. His attention then turned to his katana that now rested on top of the fireplace mantle. A small nostalgic indulgence his little brother had allowed to remain in the room. A tinge of guilt washed through him.

It wasn't like Sasuke to give into sentiment. Just as it wasn't like Sasuke to keep a lover for more than a few hours. Yet there was his katana displayed in reverence on the mantle and the stunning blond he caught sharing his brother's bedroom, was currently on his way back. Itachi turned and looked out the large bedroom window. Keeping a safe distance, he couldn't see the harbor but could make out the farther off Manhattan skyline.

Itachi thoughtfully took in the view. _Naruto._ The wire Itachi had received while he was in San Francisco didn't tell him everything but it had told him enough. Once he reached New York, he immediately contacted his informant and learned the whole story of how Naruto not only protected Sasuke from the hitmen that night, but was then hired on and made clan by his little brother. When Itachi was told how the blond had jumped clear over the VIP balcony railings in order to take down one of the hitmen, it hadn't taken long for him to put two and two together. Sasuke had always been accustomed to taking lovers to the club and then home for the night. A lover turned bodyguard. If it hadn't involved his brother, Itachi might have actually rolled his eyes at the ridiculous romantic notion.

But now here was Sasuke, obviously pained from Itachi's faked death and keeping very close company with a blond haired, blue eyed former street hood that used to boost appliance trucks. It would have been the understatement of his life had he said he was a little curious about what his brother had been up to the year he'd been gone. From his brother's mussed hair to the sword that now sat atop the fireplace. Had his absence been that hard on his little brother or could Sasuke's shift in behavior be due to something else?

A knock at the study entranceway door interrupted his thoughts.

* * *

Naruto had managed to get two full hours of sleep before he woke to the sound of Gaara knocking on his bedroom door. Yamato had sent word he was to return to the fourth floor immediately. Feeling only somewhat refreshed, he bolted to the washroom and splashed some cold water on his face and taking in the look of his tired eyes in the mirror. Running his damp hands through his hair, Naruto then quickly went back to his room and hurriedly dressed back into his dark suit. He cinched his belt and pulled on his jacket as he rushed out of his room, again forgetting his tie.

His nerves were on edge as he went up the staircase but he did his best to tamp them down. If Sasuke was alone, it was likely the two would end up discussing his impending departure for Japan. If Itachi was still with him, then Naruto doubted the older brother would miss a chance at questioning him about his and Sasuke's… _involvement_.

He hadn't been blind to the way Itachi's eyes had watched his every move earlier that morning. The brother had shown tremendous restraint, leaving the obvious questions and queries for another time. Naruto would have smiled at the huge difference between the two brothers regarding patience or lack thereof, if he hadn't been called back up to the fourth floor, setting his nerves into overdrive. After all, this could technically be the opportunity Itachi was waiting for. Naruto let out a tentative sigh. He was too tired to fight the inevitable blushes that would most certainly heat his face should the elder brother so much as hint about Naruto's and Sasuke's relationship. And he was out of his league if he thought he'd be able to bullshit Itachi into thinking there was nothing going on between Naruto and his younger brother.

Once he reached the door to Sasuke's study, Naruto paused and ran his hands through his hair, took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing,_ he thought and tried to shake himself clean of his anxiousness. Not feeling much better, he reached up and knocked.

"Naruto, please come in."

 _Shit._ Naruto gave Itachi an awkward smile and then looked around. No Sasuke. "Hey, Itachi." Not really knowing what to expect, Naruto stayed in the study and looked back at the older brother.

Itachi noticed Naruto's reluctance to enter Sasuke's bedroom without being invited and placed his hand out toward the entry door.

With a slight nod, Naruto went inside and silently cursed again. _Still no sign of Sasuke._

"Sasuke is taking a shower. He'll be out to join us soon." Itachi walked over to the small table near the red velvet couch and poured himself more coffee. "Please have a seat, Naruto. Coffee?"

"Uh, yes, please. Thank you." Naruto took a seat on the couch that was now facing the large armchair he had previously brought out.

"Cream? Sugar?"

"Sure," Naruto answered and then watched as Itachi fixed his coffee and then carried it over to him.

With another cup for himself, Itachi sat down and faced the blond.

"Sasuke has filled me in on your plans with the Akatsuki and that purple-haired woman, Konan," Itachi said, keeping his keen eyes glued to Naruto.

Naruto swallowed down a sip then spoke. "That's good. I mean, I was hoping he'd fill you in on everything."

"Really? Why?"

Resting his coffee cup on his knee, Naruto tilted his head and regarded the older brother. "Well, I figured since Sasuke would be leaving for Japan soon, that only left us with two options."

"Which would be…" Itachi pressed.

"Either setting everything into motion before you both left, or me joining up with Konan to see it through on our own."

Itachi leaned back in his chair and took a slow drink. "I would think that, now knowing the Feds are in this, you would want to walk away as well."

"Well, that's was I was hoping to talk to you about." Naruto got up and set his cup down on the table. He then turned to face the older brother and sat down on the couch armrest. "Now that you're up to speed. Is there a way to execute our plans without drawing attention from the US Marshall? Do you think it could be done?"

"Maybe. But why not walk away? With Sasuke and I leaving and Konan having her own agenda, tell me, Naruto, what exactly is in it for you?" Itachi leaned forward. "Sasuke told me you have future plans of your own. Are you looking to make a play in New York like Konan, or is going after Madara some personal vendetta you have?"

"I gave my word."

Itachi stared back at the blue-eyed man in front of him. There was no force to his comment. No hint of drama behind his words. It was as if Naruto had just told him the time of day without realizing the true weight of his answer. For Naruto it was simply a matter of character.

"If my brother is making you uncomfortable with his incessant prodding, by all means, Naruto, tell him to fuck off." Naruto stood up and turned to see Sasuke walking over. "I told you, Itachi, lay off the interrogation."

"It's fine," Naruto said back and then turned again to Itachi. "I gave my word to Sasuke to see this through to the end and I was the one who encouraged Konan to join us. Walking away isn't choice."

The older Uchiha nodded at Naruto's response.

"Itachi has already agreed to help us, Naruto. He's just asking you these questions to get a better read on the kind of person you are." Sasuke adjusted his cufflinks and stepped up to the table. He was already dressed in his usual slacks and pressed cotton shirt with a pinstriped vest, when he entered the room. He looked down at the table and saw the whiskey bottle was gone. "Goddammit, Itachi."

"Have some coffee, Sasuke." A soft gleam came to Itachi's eyes as he raised his cup to his brother. "Yamato brought up a fresh pot."

"You're staying?" Naruto said to Sasuke and sat back down onto the armrest, trying not to look anxious for Sasuke's response.

Sasuke threw his brother a hard look and took out his cigarettes from his vest pocket. "For as long as it takes to see things done."

"Next week," Itachi said quietly.

"You're still planning on leaving next week?" Naruto asked. "That doesn't give us much time."

"He's right, Itachi." Sasuke blew out the smoke of his cigarette in his brother's direction. "We'll need more time."

"I'm well aware you would like more time here in New York and why, but I'm referring to the timetable for the plans you have at the ready."

Naruto looked from one brother to the other. "You think we can pull it off by then? It's what…" Naruto creased his brows together. "Today's already Thursday. When were you thinking?"

"Next Friday. When Sasuke reopens the club," Itachi answered and took another sip of his coffee.

"I told you, that won't work without a bigger crew," Sasuke added. "Sending Konan in with just her men would be a slaughter. She needs backup for the first phase."

"Have you heard back from Kakashi?" Itachi rested his cup on his knee.

"Not yet," answered Naruto. "You think he'll find the men we need?"

"I think you should contact him. At the very least he's found one or two."

Sasuke looked at his brother and blew out a hard trail of smoke. "Are you going to tell him?"

Naruto gave Sasuke a confused look, not catching his meaning.

"Are you sticking your nose in my business, _otouto?"_ Itachi downed the rest of his coffee and stood up.

"It's only fair," Sasuke in a snide tone.

Itachi walked to the table and set down his cup. Looking up he leveled his dark eyes at his younger brother. "Perhaps you should see to your own affairs before meddling in mine."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Sasuke snapped back.

"Naruto," Itachi said, still keeping his eyes locked on his little brother. "If you don't mind me asking, what _are_ your goals once everything is said and done?" Finally he turned and faced the blond. "Sasuke mentioned you had future plans."

"Goddammit, Itachi. I told you -"

"It's alright," Naruto said. "I mean, it's not like it's a secret. Come October I'll be leaving for California with my friend Gaara."

"The one who was with you when you took down the hitmen that night at the club," Itachi answered.

"Yeah." Naruto suddenly felt uneasy. Both Uchihas were watching him and damned if he could read either one. Itachi was a complete mystery and Sasuke was wearing a look Naruto didn't recognize. It wasn't just that he looked irritated by Itachi's questions but more like Sasuke had been expecting a different answer. Naruto sent the younger brother a curious look in response.

Watching the silent play of emotions on the blond's face told Itachi all he needed to know. It had only taken him a few seconds of meeting Naruto to see that the blue-eyed man had no skill when it came to hiding his emotions. He had caught the flush of embarrassment on Naruto's face when he walked in on the blond and his brother sharing a quiet moment together. His awkwardness during the familial displays of affection as well as his cautious avoidance when he left the breakfast table at the mention of Sasuke's soon departure to Japan. None of it had been missed by Itachi.

"Why October?" Itachi asked.

Naruto couldn't keep himself from slightly blushing. "I uh…" he darted his eyes to Sasuke who caught his sudden apprehension. "My birthday." Naruto's hand immediately went to the back of his neck, nervously scrubbing at it.

One look at the blond's guilty grin caused Sasuke to crease his brows and take a step closer to Naruto. "You're leaving for California on your birthday?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah. October 10th." Naruto stood up and reached for the large pot Yamato had brought up and topped off his cup.

Sasuke snuffed out his cigarette and stared at Naruto. "Why on your birthday?"

"No reason really," Naruto muttered as he lifted the coffee cup to his lips and took a long sip. He had never told Sasuke about Shika snaking his papers for him and thereby not telling him his age.

"Naruto." If his brother hadn't been sitting a few feet away, Sasuke might have managed an eye roll or even a bout of laughter at Naruto's obvious attempt to lie to him.

"You're _eighteenth_ _birthday_ ," Itachi spoke up and immediately darted his eyes over to his brother.

Naruto flicked his eyes up from his coffee just in time to see Sasuke's eyes fractionally widen at his brother's words. _Shit._ "Sasuke…" Naruto quickly said.

"You're seventeen," Sasuke interrupted.

"Yes, but -" Naruto was flustered. He hadn't expected to ever have this conversation with the young Uchiha gangster, let alone have it with his brother intently watching the whole exchange and most likely taking notes.

"Excuse me." Itachi slowly got up from his chair and walked around to the small table.

Sasuke barely noticed as the elder set down his coffee cup and quietly walked off, heading toward the washroom. Right now all he was interested in was how he had managed to miss the fact that his blue-eyed lover turned bodyguard turned lover was only seventeen years old.

Feeling some relief and gratitude at Itachi leaving the room for a moment, Naruto set down his cup and looked directly at Sasuke. "I've been on my own since I was eleven and it's not like I was some innocent kid when we met."

"I know you weren't," Sasuke said, his voice low.

"Then what's the problem?" Naruto wasn't used to having to defend himself this way. He and Gaara had been making decisions for themselves long before they escaped the orphanage and he bristled at the idea of anyone thinking he wasn't mature enough to think for himself. His age had no impact on the hardships he had had to overcome in his life. He wasn't spared adversity or anguish simply because he was under the legal age. And no one had the right to treat him like a child simply because he was only seventeen.

The look on Naruto's face gave Sasuke pause. "It's just…"

"Just what, Sasuke?" Naruto challenged. "Do you think that you somehow took advantage of me? Tricked me? That my age reflects my ability to think for myself?" Naruto could feel his temper rising. It was Konan and Kiba all over again; making assumptions that somehow Naruto was too naive or simple-minded to have been able to resist Uchiha Sasuke's advances. "I'm not a fucking child."

"Naruto..."

Just then Itachi returned and Naruto slid his eyes to where he was. The two exchanged a look but Naruto still couldn't read whatever it was Itachi was sending him. The man's stoic veneer was impenetrable.

Still feeling irritated, Naruto snatched Sasuke's smokes from his vest pocket and the matches off the table. After lighting a cig, he tossed both onto the table and ran a hand through his hair as he let out a long train of smoke. They were getting far off topic and time was running short. _How the hell did Itachi know Naruto would be turning eighteen anyway?_ He turned to the older brother and opened his mouth but Itachi was quicker.

"Do you have family waiting for you in California… Naruto?" The elder had retaken his seat in the large armchair and was staring comfortably at the blond when he turned to face him.

But already riled by Sasuke's assumptions, Naruto immediately picked up on Itachi's line of questioning and decided he had no more patience for it. "Why don't you just cut to the chase, Itachi."

The older's eyes flashed a bright look but was gone before Sasuke could confirm it had been there at all.

"You knew my name, and you know my age, so give. What the fuck are you trying to get at? Because while you're trying to play games with me, we're running out of time. So just tell me. What is it you wanna know?" Naruto bit out, trying to keep his temper in check.

Every time Sasuke witnessed Naruto's anger, he felt a genuine rush from it. He knew it wasn't right. After all, hadn't he provoked the blond enough times to feel guilty for taking enjoyment at seeing his blond lover act out in defiance? But to have Naruto's anger directed at his annoyingly intrusive brother, well _that_ he could take pleasure in.

Itachi held out a hand toward the couch. "Have a seat, Naruto."

But Naruto stood his ground. "Not until you tell me what it is you're trying to get outta me. I don't know what you've heard or what someone's told you about me, but I'm not a fool, Itachi and I don't like being treated like one."

Itachi lowered his chin ever so slightly. "I apologize, Naruto. Some habits are hard to break. Please... have a seat and give me a chance to make things right."

Though stunned by his brother's words, Sasuke said nothing and did his best to keep his shock at hearing his brother acquiesce to Naruto's demands, under control. _Serves him right,_ he thought. Sasuke had learned months ago that Naruto was no fool when it came to people trying to take advantage of him. Sasuke paused as the thought rested on his tongue. _Which is why he was so upset at my reaction to his age._ A glint came to the young Uchiha's eyes and he fought to pull back a smirk as he took in the sight of Naruto slowly sitting down on the couch while throwing his perfect genious brother, a challenging glare.

"Whenever you're ready," Naruto said from his place on the sofa.

A small smile came to Itachi's eyes and then was gone and an impassive mask took its place. While not as hard of a look as when he had been arguing with Sasuke, his face wasn't entirely soft either. In fact, if Naruto had been hard-pressed to give an answer, he would have said Uchiha Itachi looked concerned.

"It's my understanding that you are an orphan. Is that correct?"

"It's no secret. My parents died on the journey over and I was sent to -" Naruto halted and glanced over at Sasuke. "I was sent to an orphanage once the ship I was on arrived in New York."

"You came via cargo?" Itachi asked.

"Yeah."

"And you have no memory of your parents?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the elder Uchiha. "None. Why… why does that matter?" Naruto's heart began to race. "Wha- just what the fuck are you trying to get at?" Suddenly Naruto didn't want to be in the room. There was something about the way Itachi was looking at him and goddammit if he could read his expression the way he had become adept at reading Sasuke. He didn't want to hear Itachi's response. He didn't want to know why the damn Uchiha looked blank and stoic… and... concerned.

Itachi pulled his outstretched legs back in and sat up straight in his chair. It wasn't in Itachi's nature to be malicious for malicious sake. And given what he had already learned of Naruto, Itachi wasn't looking forward to upending the young blue-eyed man's life.

"While I was in Japan, I was confronted by a man name Namikaze Minato. He had been seeking out any and everyone who had returned from America, or more specifically, New York."

Naruto stayed riveted to Itachi's every word. Sasuke's attention was equally rapt as he lit himself another smoke and moved to sit near Naruto as his brother continued.

"Minato told me how he and his wife had lost their child during the chaos of trying to board a cargo ship headed to New York. Thinking someone would turn in a lost two year old, they had stayed behind, choosing to remain in Japan to await news of their child being found." Itachi stood up and walked to the table. He reached for the cigarettes there and lit himself one. Blowing out an even trail of smoke he continued. "Having missed his opportunity to come to America, he began a campaign to find his child. He wrote daily to the Japanese American Association in New York, trying to get someone to help locate him."

"Him?" Naruto swallowed hard around the word. It didn't take a genius to see where Itachi was going with all this and Naruto found himself suddenly mad with desire to scream at Itachi; tell him to shut up and how dare he! But for as much as part of him was begging for Itachi to stop, another quieter side of him was desperate for him to continue.

"Yes, Naruto, _him_. Even the name… your name, Naruto… was stitched into the child's clothing." Itachi took a few steps closer to where the blond was sitting and spoke to him in a soft but deliberate tone. "You have parents, Naruto, and they're waiting for you in Japan."

 _To be continued..._

* * *

A/N - My apologies for any remaining typos. I will most likely continue to edit on ao3 as I usually do, since it's the easiest format to edit on. So I hope you'll read this there. That being said, I hope you liked the ending! Hahahaha and I hope you'll forgive me for all the surprises but I love keeping y'all guessing and surprising you! (much like Viktor from Yuri On Ice! hahahaha!) Thanks for reading!


	20. Chapter 20: The bedfellows we keep

**Warning** : Do you really need one? All the dark themes you should now expect. The end.

 **Author's note** : Howdy, y'all! Yeah, I know. It sure takes me fucking forever to get these chapters out, don't it? I am sorry, Dear Reader but please believe me when I say I really really try to fight against the writing gods and their hatred of me and yank out a chapter that's good enough to post for you. That being said, this chapter is unBeta'd because my Kizubae wasn't available and I wanted to get this out to you all as soon as I finished typing the last line. Which of course didn't happen because I'm a neurotic mess and had to go over it again before posting. So, I'm sure there will be typos here and there and most assuredly grammatical errors and poor sentence structure. But hey, I did what I could and seeing how there's no paycheck waiting at the end of all this, I'm sure you'll agree, it's better than waiting another week! LOL Side note: YOI finale was awesome! Though I have my issues with JJ coming in 3rd and no wedding bells for Viktor and Yuri, I still teared up during Yuri's final skate and cheered in jubilation at him conquering his doubts. I do love YOI. Side note #2: Meryl Streep is badass and forever has my love and respect. And that's all I'm gonna say about that. So! I hope this chapter satisfies you til the next. Things are heating up in Brooklyn… in all sorts of ways! And the end is near. Love to you, Dear Reader and I truly hope you enjoy this chapter coming at you at over 13k and 32 pages long. Phew!

 **Disclaimer** **:** I do not own these characters and make zilch from this story.

**Big thanks to my KizuBae! You are always here for me, encouraging me when I start doubting myself and cheering me on when I feel like the world's shittiest writer. I love you oh so much, Bae.

* * *

 **Chapter 20:** The bedfellows we keep

The sudden stillness in the bedroom was broken only by the occasional _pop_ and _crack_ of the dying fire nearby. At Itachi's words, Naruto's mind had seized, and with the ability to form words momentarily snached from him, he blankly turned and looked at the glowing red and orange embers of the fire, and briefly wondered if he should throw on another log.

"Naruto?" Itachi said, but Sasuke put up a hand to quiet him. It was clear Naruto needed a moment. His parents were alive and they were searching for him. Not acquainted with how to communicate sentiment, Sasuke's mind fumbled over what he should say. He looked at Naruto and though turned away and staring into the fire, Sasuke noticed the subtle tension in man's body.

What could he say? Sasuke's mind careened through conversations and facts until it halted at the memory of his earlier exchange with his brother. Without an adversary to punish for Naruto's current distress, Sasuke turned his eyes to Itachi and shot him a hard glare.

"You and your goddamn games." There was no mistaking the sharp edge in Sasuke's voice. He was sick and tired of his brothers manipulations.

Itachi didn't respond but let awareness flood his eyes as he looked back at his younger brother, letting him know that yes, he knew full well that Naruto's parents were in Japan when he had asked if Sasuke would be willing to leave the blond behind. But behind the look flashed a hint of a warning. _Be mindful of the bonds you make, otouto… and the ones you choose to so easily break._

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at his brother. "How the fuck did you even make the connection? Or are you going to continue to dangle pieces of information out like bait for your amusement?"

Itachi showed no obvious reaction to Sasuke's accusation but that didn't mean the remark had no effect. Sasuke caught the slightest shift in Itachi's eyes and felt immediately satisfied that his words had touched a nerve in his bastardly brother.

Itachi turned, sat back down in his chair, crossed his legs and took in a breath. "When I met Minato, I was struck by his uncanny resemblance to Naruto," he said and nodded his head in the young man's direction. "I didn't realize it at first, but once he told me his story, I recalled the blond haired, blue eyed Japanese kid that used to hang around outside The Palace."

"Once I docked in San Francisco, the telegram that was waiting for me, read there had been a shooting at the club and that an unknown bodyguard had rescued my brother. When I arrived in New York, my informant relayed every piece of gossip about what happened that night. Including, that it was a _blond-haired, blue-eyed_ Japanese bodyguard that had managed to thwart the hit on my brother's life."

"I in turn, told him the information I was given about Naruto, and he had the file pulled from the J.A.A. It's a six-inch thick file, Naruto," Itachi said, looking again to where his brother's bodyguard sat, still staring into the fire. "Your mother and father have been diligently writing letters for fifteen years and several local orphanages were even contacted back when the case was still new."

"When I asked my informant if it was possible the man who stopped the hitmen at the club could be the child Minato had told me about, he said the years seemed to match up. That's how I knew your age."

Naruto stood up from the couch but stayed facing the fire and away from Itachi's gaze. In a low voice, he finally spoke. "And then you show up at Pierrepont, and here I am, in your brother's bedroom."

"Yes," Itachi replied.

Naruto looked down at his long forgotten cigarette and stared at it. "How can you be sure it's me. That I'm the Naruto you're… they're looking for?"

"You mean aside from the fact there aren't many blue-eyed, blond haired Japanese men in Brooklyn? Well, there's your name and your birthday," Itachi answered

It was only a moment before Naruto turned back to look into the fire, but Sasuke hadn't missed it. The strained look, the pained blue eyes. Doing his best to keep his temper in check, he got up and went to retrieve the ashtray.

Once back at the couch, Naruto looked down at the ashtray in Sasuke's hand and absentmindedly crushed out his already dead smoke. His head was spinning and the room suddenly felt too small. Itachi had to be mistaken.

Itachi rose from his chair to crush out his own cigarette and Sasuke responded by moving the ashtray out of his brother's reach and setting it farther down on couch next him. The familiar sight of his little brother in full tantrum mode, brought a small gleam to Itachi's eyes. If it hadn't been for the matter at hand, he might have pushed Sasuke a bit more, just for old time's sake.

Not holding Sasuke's stare for long, the elder then crushed out his cigarette and returned to the large armchair.

Avoiding the petulant glare of his brother, he continued. "It didn't take us - my contact and I - long to figure out that someone at the orphanage you were sent to, had either been shown or had been given a copy of your file." Itachi's posture straightened. "But for some reason they never reported your existence to the local authorities."

"Jesus fucking christ." Sasuke clenched his fists and again looked to Naruto.

Itachi went on. "Though your name and birth date match the file at the J.A.A., according to my guy, there is no record of a Namikaze Naruto or an Uzumaki Naruto having been registered at any orphanage in the state of New York."

"I don't fucking believe this," Sasuke pushed his fists into the couch cushions. "They can't get away with this. That's kidnapping!"

"I agree and I'm equally disgusted," Itachi replied. "However, it's unlikely any charges will be filed. With prejudices the way they are and the current level of corruption in local law enforcement, I wouldn't place much hope in city officials caring about one Japanese immigrant that fell through the cracks."

The muscles in Sasuke's jaw began to ache. "Where was it?" Sasuke demanded. "The name of the orphanage; where was he sent?"

His older brother slid his eyes to where Naruto was still gazing into the fire and noted the slight shift in his posture.

Sasuke caught the glance and became incensed. " _I'm_ the one asking you." Sasuke's eyes burning at his brother's silent refusal.

Itachi lifted his chin and pulled in a sharp breath. "The file didn't say."

"Goddammit, Itachi!"

"Sasuke, there is no record of Naruto in any orphanage in New York. If you want to know where he was sent -"

"Does he know?" Naruto finally said, still staring blankly into the fire.

Itachi and Sasuke turned their attention back to him.

"Min - Minato." The strangeness of the name stuck in Naruto's throat. "Did you tell him you knew who I was?" Naruto swallowed hard. "Have you contacted him since you've been back?"

"I've only spoken to my informant and the two of you since my return. As for mentioning to Minato my suspicion of you being his son while I was in Japan? No." Itachi easily read the distant look on Naruto's face and though it gave him pause, he knew the blond wouldn't appreciate any pulled punches. "At the time I wasn't a hundred percent sure it was you and I also had no idea if you were still -"

"-alive." Naruto finished and Itachi nodded.

"I didn't want the man to go through losing his child twice."

Naruto finally lowered his eyes from the fire, nodding slightly. "That means, other than you… and Sasuke, no one else knows about this, about me."

"My informant knows."

"But he's too busy trying to take down the clans in Brooklyn to care about one Japanese orphan, right?"

"What are you saying, Naruto?" Sasuke stood up from the couch just as Naruto finally brought his gaze up to Itachi.

"Don't tell him. Them. Don't tell this Minato person, you found me. Just let it go." Naruto took a small step toward Itachi. "Please."

"If that's what you want, I will of course respect your wishes," Itachi said, staring at his brother's lover with interest.

"Shut up, Itachi." Sasuke snapped. "Naruto," he said and stepped closer to him. "Why don't you want to see them?"

Naruto turned and faced Sasuke. "I know what you're thinking."

"What am I thinking?" Sasuke was getting irritated by Naruto's ambivalence.

"Come October, I'm leaving for California. This changes nothing."

"California, California… what's so fucking special about California? Goddammit Naruto, there's crime and poverty everywhere! Are you somehow foolish enough to believe that you can escape all the ugliness and greed of this world by running off to California?" All of Sasuke's pent up frustration finally spilling through.

"You know I don't," Naruto said calmly. "And you know I'm not." Naruto held Sasuke's black glare and then walked past him. He moved across the room not really sure if he should bolt for the door or stay and face his questions. He knew the damn Uchiha would never be satisfied with any vague answer and if he walked away now, it would only create more problems later. Taking a deep breath, Naruto turned and locked eyes with Sasuke.

"I think it's time I got some sleep," Itachi said, rising from his chair. He grabbed his cloak, folded it over one arm and approached the young blue-eyed man. "I will respect your decision, Naruto. You have my word."

"Thank you, Itachi."

"Actually, I should thank you."

Already preparing himself for a face off with Sasuke, Naruto was momentarily confused. "I don't under -"

"If it hadn't been for you, my foolish brother might have not survived the hit on his life." Itachi softened his eyes. "Thank you, Naruto."

"I uh," Naruto stuttered and shot a hand straight to the back of his neck, rubbing at it anxiously. "I mean… uh… it was nothing." Naruto could feel the heat rising in his cheeks but knew there was no way to stop it.

A faint smile came and was then gone from Itachi's face. "We'll meet in the morning." he said and turned to his brother. "We can discuss how to keep the Feds out of things and go over all the details. You can bring in the rest of the crew after." Sasuke gave a terse head nod in agreement; still cross at his brother's blatant manipulations. Ignoring Sasuke, Itachi turned back to Naruto, and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Blue eyes lifted and met his gaze.

Then deciding some things were better left unsaid, he let his hand drop and walked toward the bedroom door. "One last thing before I head down to the guest rooms," Itachi said and half-turned to his brother. "I didn't return from Japan alone."

"What do you mean? Who?" Sasuke creased his brows at the possibility of yet another surprise.

"An Uchiha ally who is willing to assist us in our endeavors against Madara."

Confusion washed through Naruto. Hadn't Itachi only just agreed to stay in New York and help them take down Madara? So when did he…? Eyes widening, he looked to Sasuke and immediately recognized the storm brewing across the young mobster's face.

"Sonofabitch." Sasuke gritted out. He had had enough of his brother's goddamn games. "Why the fuck the charade if you had every intention of staying!"

With fists clenched, Sasuke stepped toward his brother but Itachi held up a hand to halt him. "Consider it a test of your _fortitude,_ little brother." Itachi's eyes lit with pleasure. "And for the record, I wasn't entirely convinced I _should_ stay, but more on that when we meet tomorrow. I need sleep." He again headed for the bedroom door. "My travelling companion should arrive sometime after seven. Please show him to my room when he does," Itachi called out over his shoulder, and then promptly walked out.

The hollow sound of the heavy wooden door closing shut, filled the room.

Sasuke pulled his irritated glare from where his brother had just been and looked over to find Naruto's sharp blue eyes already staring back at him.

"Sas -"

"- ruto."

They both said at the same time and the corner of Naruto's mouth lifted.

"Your brother really enjoys his games," Naruto said, doing his best to keep his tone light.

Sasuke nodded and reached up to his tie, tugging it loose as he walked over to him. "You have no idea."

Naruto opened his mouth. "I know what you're going to say but I don't have an answer for you right now."

"What am I going to say, Naruto?" Sasuke slid off his tie and tossed it to the floor. "Is it wrong for me to wonder why you're throwing away a chance at finding your family? Am I overstepping the boundaries of our relationship by asking? Tell me, Naruto because I don't understand."

Naruto's heart jumped. _Our relationship._

"What?" Sasuke asked at the look on Naruto's face, unaware he had let the word slip.

Naruto blinked the thought away and then worked to focus on the man in front of him. He didn't want to lie to Sasuke and not just because he didn't think he could get away with it. It was that there was still too much doubt and confusion crowding out his rational thoughts and as far as he could tell, there was no hard proof that this, Namikaze Minato was his father and Naruto wasn't entirely sure he wanted to find out. And how could he explain that to Sasuke? Someone who took pride in his family line. Who held in reverence the name, Uchiha. Naruto dropped his gaze and stared at the floor.

"Naruto?"

"No, you're not out of line for asking." Naruto stuffed his hands into his pockets. "But I don't have an answer for you right now," he repeated and let out a long breath.

Sasuke set his jaw in frustration. He knew Naruto wasn't trying to be difficult but there was more to his avoidance than he was letting on. It was unsettling to Sasuke that Naruto wasn't yet ready to share. The urge to push and draw him out, gnawed at him. If he did push, it would likely lead to an argument and the thought immediately held Sasuke back. They had so little time left as it was. The last thing he wanted was to waste it by bickering over a bruised ego.

Naruto sat down on the edge of the bed and scrubbed his hands over his face. Dropping his hands into his lap, he looked up at Sasuke. "I need a bit more time. I'm not… I need some time."

"Alright." Sasuke let out a hard breath and decided to let it go for now. He ran a hand through his hair and looked around the bedroom. "I have business I can see to down at the club. You can rest here if you want. Itachi won't walk in unexpected again and I had that damn pathway bolted shut. I'll grab my coat and -" Sasuke felt a soft touch against his hand and looked back.

"Stay with me?" Naruto took hold of Sasuke's hand and interlocked their fingers. With eyes turned up and shining bright, Sasuke thought he caught a hint of fear deep within them. Something must have shown on his face because immediately a questioning look flooded Naruto's eyes. Sasuke squeezed his hand, not wanting Naruto to think his hesitation was refusal and leaned down to meet his lover's lips, but suddenly paused.

Naruto pulled back. "What's wrong?"

Sasuke raised himself back up. "Nothing, I was thinking -"

"About what?" A small scowl formed along Naruto's brow. "Is this about my age? Are we back to that?

"Naruto." Sasuke tried to pull his lover's hand closer but Naruto yanked free of his grip and stood up.

"I hate that you see me that way," he muttered low and stepped away but Sasuke grabbed his arm and roughly pulled him against him.

With his hot breath against Naruto's cheek, Sasuke spoke. "What I see is a man who won't shut up long enough for me to get a word in." He pulled his head back and looked directly into Naruto's eyes. "I don't give a fuck about your age, _dobe_. I was thinking it's been a rough couple of days… for us both." Sasuke loosened his grip on Naruto's arm, and then slid his arms around around waist.

The suspicious look Naruto originally flashed him was already fading when Sasuke pulled him snug. And by the time Naruto threaded his fingers through the dark strands of Sasuke's hair, the earlier tension seemed no more than a fuzzy memory.

"All the more reason to want a distraction," Naruto said and kissed Sasuke, opening his mouth wide and pushing his tongue into the warm wetness within. Immediately Sasuke's hands gripped Naruto's hips, digging his fingers in deep.

 _Yes._ Sasuke drank in the sweet taste of Naruto that filled his mouth and dripped against his tongue as they kissed. He had no objection to what Naruto was proposing. Shut out the world. Lose themselves for one more night. _Yes._

Naruto let out a rich, low moan and Sasuke's heart picked up pace at the sound. Both already panting, they eagerly ground against one another enjoying the hardened promise of distraction throbbing between them.

Naruto's whole being tuned to the frequency of Sasuke. Every shudder. Every flex of his body as he pulled and writhed against him, had Naruto's whole being resonating in ecstasy. He tilted his head and greedily fed on the dark taste of Sasuke, breaking every so often for manic gasps of breath.

 _One week._ Days, were all they had left. Naruto moved his hands to the sides of Sasuke's face, thumbing his jaw wider, swallowing every beautiful groan the Uchiha let loose as he tried to fight against the panic rising inside of him.

Desperation permeated off of Naruto, making Sasuke momentarily dizzy. He was used to Naruto wrenching the frenzied lust from within him, but this new emotion the blond was using to kiss and bite at his neck with, was a new kind of hunger and it had Sasuke's head spinning. _The man is in love with you._ Itachi's words rang in his ears just as Naruto gripped his hair and arched back his neck, attacking and then marking the base of his neck with brutal force. Sasuke's thoughts scattered. With his dick now straining, the young mobster's possessive streak flared. The tattoo wasn't enough. Having Naruto until October wasn't enough, he thought just as the telephone began to ring.

"Fuck," Naruto bemoaned and peppered several kisses along the slope of Sasuke's neck before finally looking up.

"I swear I'm going to unplug that thing." Sasuke growled, pulling back and giving Naruto a frustrated almost angry look.

Naruto smiled. "It's fine. Go answer it, I'm not going anywhere."

Sasuke looked back at him and darted his tongue out over his bottom lip. Backing up toward the phone on the nightstand, he then reluctantly turned to pick it up after the fifth ring.

"What?" Sasuke said into the mouthpiece.

Naruto watched Sasuke at the phone and the Uchiha turned to face him while he listened on the line.

"She wants what?" Sasuke kept his eyes on Naruto who was now slowly removing his jacket. "Violins?" Sasuke asked, distracted by the sight unfolding in front of him.

Naruto let his coat fall to the floor and then starting at his collar, began working his shirt buttons while his bright blue eyes remained trained on where Sasuke stood, attentive and spellbound.

"Yeah, yes, tell her it's fine. Whatever she needs for the number," Sasuke said in a low voice. Naruto was now opening his dress shirt and letting it too, slip off his shoulders and drop to the floor. Sasuke licked his lips, his eyes darkening. "Whatever she wants." The roughness of Sasuke's voice dropping again. His dick, now tenting his slacks, was a lewd affirmation that Naruto's enticement was working. Riveted, he slowly hung up the phone.

Naruto smiled and went to him. "What was that about?" He asked, stepping in close. His eyes dropped to the the large bulge protruding from Sasuke's tailored slacks. Naruto flicked his gaze back up and half a crooked grin lifted his lips.

Sasuke took in the whole of his lover's face and wrapped his hands around the hot flesh of Naruto's waist. The storm blue eyes looking back at him were filled with hunger but again he noted a flicker of something else. Sasuke forced himself to let it pass, wanting to stay true to Naruto's request for a distraction from the drama that awaited them outside his bedroom door.

"I have no idea," he said and a soft laughter escaped the blond right before he crushed their mouths together, swallowing the beautiful sound.

Not wasting time, Naruto's hands sought out Sasuke's vest and undid the buttons one by one.

"I don't know what the fuck you keep getting all dolled up for," Naruto said into his mouth. "I always prefer how you look out of your overpriced suits."

"Overpri -" But Sasuke's words were cut off as Naruto kissed him hard while he continued to unfasten his vest.

Once open, he immediately started on the shirt and then broke their kiss to push Sasuke back so he could peel both off, and run his hands up Sasuke's lean sinewy arms. Sasuke took hold of his hips just as Naruto slid his arms around Sasuke's neck and gazed into his obsidian eyes.

"I'll never get over how fucking gorgeous you look when you watch me the way you were just now." Naruto smiled and Sasuke ground their hips together, pressing his hard length into Naruto's matching erection.

A dark lust seared through Sasuke's eyes as he stared back. "I enjoy watching you," he said in deep tenor that sent a shiver down Naruto's back.

Naruto raised a daring brow at him. "Do you?"

Sasuke caught the challenging look and a gleam lit the darkness of his eyes. A broad sinful smile erupted on Naruto's face in response, and he easily stepped out of Sasuke's arms and began to slowly walk backwards. Without breaking their gaze, his hand went to his belt and then this slacks, undoing the clasp and lowering the zipper. Once undone, he used his fingers to tease the waistband of his pants and then bit his bottom lip at the way Sasuke's eyes darted to the movement. Letting out a small breath of laughter, Naruto came to a stop once he reached the other side of the bed, and then slowly pulled down his pants until they hung obscenely low on his hips, showing off his tan flat stomach and the buoyant arch of his ass.

"Tease," Sasuke breathed out and again licked his lips, his pulse quickening with desire.

Naruto let a hand play along his stomach, before dropping it down and inside the front of his slacks. Hidden from Sasuke's eyes, he stroked himself off with one hand, while his other splayed across his stomach before moving up his chest, stopping to play with his nipple, rolling and pinching it between his fingers. Fighting the urge to close his eyes and roll back his head, Naruto kept his sights on Sasuke and let out a sharp hiss followed by a long needy groan.

"Shit, Naruto…" Sasuke, already greedily palming himself through his slacks, took a step toward the blond.

"Not yet," Naruto breathed out. He then removed his hands and dropped his pants, kicking them off to the side.

As Sasuke's eyes moved lower, he felt his desire grow hot at the sight of how hard Naruto was. The blond seemed to always be ready for him, lusting for him. Knowing Naruto was so thoroughly turned on by his impromptu performance, had Sasuke undoing his own slacks and thrusting a hand inside to wrap around his already slick and leaking shaft. His eyes traveled over Naruto's naked form. His muscular thighs, twitching with anticipation. His tan defined abs and his firm chest rising and falling from the building passion between them.

Sasuke drunk in every beautiful line of Naruto's body and once their gaze met, the blond flicked his brows and jerked his chin at the nightstand. The Uchiha picked up on signal and moved to end table. After finding what he was looking for, he faced Naruto, and a slight smirk settled on his lips as he held up the jar in his hand, turning it over in his fingers.

Naruto climbed onto the bed, his eyes dancing at the playfulness in his lover's stare.

"Come and get it," Sasuke said in the hard, flat tone he usually saved for meetings with the crew or ordering around his hotel staff.

A devilish grin spread across Naruto's face as he lowered himself onto all fours on the bed. This was exactly the distraction he needed. He didn't want to think about Japan or hypothetical parents or clan takeovers or anything other than what was happening this very instant. What he wanted was what he had found their first night together and every shared moment since. The sweet and total bliss of his whole world falling away; completely succumbing to the ecstasy of Uchiha Sasuke.

Like a merciful blessing, all of Naruto's doubts and fears flittered away as he crawled across the bed to where Sasuke was waiting, jar in hand. It wasn't just his own need that had him dripping with desire. It was the way Sasuke was looking at him. The way he always looked at him when they were alone. With eyes that wanted to devour, to swallow him down and claim him forever. Sasuke was insatiable for him and that knowledge had kept Naruto wound tight since the day they first met. He knew he was now beyond all hope when it came to his need to lose himself in the possessive eyes of ruthless mob boss. And without a doubt, Naruto knew his unholy addiction would remain with him for the rest of his life.

Sasuke looked down at Naruto, crouched, eyes raised and burning. Naruto didn't want to talk about his parents in Japan any more than Sasuke wanted to talk about the death of his own. Between the two of them, there seemed to be no end to the tragedy they shared. Now with the both of them eager to distance themselves from everything that had come to pass, even if only for a night, Sasuke couldn't help but recognize the invisible bond that had grown between them. One that seemed to pull whenever the other tugged. It was hard to ignore. Yet as he tossed the jar in his hand just over Naruto's head and relished the _fuck you_ glare he got in return, all of Sasuke's silent musings vanished. All his attention focused only on the right now. On _Naruto._

Naruto moved back to grab the jar and prop himself up against headboard. Now facing each other, Sasuke stood mesmerized by the blue fire in his lover's eyes. His hand was now picking up speed inside his slacks as he watched Naruto open the jar and coat his two of his fingers in the gel. Naruto's hand moved lower and slid between his legs. Lazily widening his knees, Naruto shifted, drifting down into the bed to give Sasuke the perfect view of his fingers moving over his entrance to leisurely circle and tease his hole.

The stoic Uchiha froze.

Through lust ridden eyes, Naruto watched as Sasuke's mask began to crack. God, how he loved being able to break the Uchiha's hard shell so thoroughly. Chewing on his bottom lip, Naruto pushed a finger inside himself and couldn't help but let out a long moan at the sensation.

"Oh fuck," Naruto panted and lolled his head back as he slid in a second. Vaguely he heard himself voice a needy whine but didn't care. He moved both fingers, trying to stretch the tightness and rolled back his eyes, knowing that Sasuke was watching him. Lusting for him. Not being able to hold back, Naruto started to flex his hips into his hand, pushing and grinding into the intrusion.

Still writhing, Naruto lifted his head. Eyes deeper than the bluest sea met Sasuke's and the heat of them slapped Sasuke into motion. He yanked his pants down and off, and with predatory ease, climbed onto the bed and approached him.

Naruto's tongue darted out over his bottom lip and he tucked the flesh into his mouth, biting down hard just as Sasuke crawled up and settled between his legs, looming over him.

" _Sasuke,"_ Naruto groaned and tilted his head up, waiting for his lover to claim him.

" _Naruto,"_ Sasuke replied. His breath filled the space between them and felt the last of his restraint break as he watched Naruto's eyes close and give way to the pleasure of fingering himself. Sasuke swallowed at the sight. No one could break him the way Naruto could. The way Naruto was breaking him now.

Hooking his arms under Naruto's thighs, Sasuke dragged him down, then pulled Naruto's hand away, pinning both his wrists to the bed. Naruto arched up, trying to find some relief for his aching cock and Sasuke responded by moving his knees up, pushing against the backs of Naruto's thighs, forcing his legs out wide.

"My turn." Sasuke's voice was rough and breathless.

Naruto's chest was now heaving. "Mmmm… tell me what you want, Sasuke," Naruto moaned, a dark fire lighting his eyes.

Not shying away from the undercurrent of meaning in the question, Sasuke lowered his mouth to Naruto's. "You. Only you."

It was near eight in the evening when Yamato called up to Sasuke's room. The man waiting patiently in the foyer, stood quietly by but Yamato was careful not to turn his back on him.

"There's a gentleman who's just arrived saying he's here to meet his traveling companion." The old caretaker eyed the dark haired man suspiciously. "I see. Yes. Thank you, Sasuke." Yamato hung up the telephone and turned to the man with strange dark and distant eyes. "My apologies," Yamato said. "If you'll please follow me, I'll show you to your room. May I take your bag, Mr…?"

"Thank you, but I can manage," the lean figured man said softly. "And it's, Uchiha… Uchiha Shisui."

"Right this way, Shisui-san." Yamato turned and led the man to the staircase.

"Thank you," the visitor replied. "And it's just Shisui," he added with a soft smile as he followed him up the stairs.

Yamato looked back as they climbed. "Right this way... Shisui."

* * *

"Wow!" Tenten hopped off the bar and headed toward the stage. "Sakura, that was beautiful!"

Sakura stepped away from the mic stand, her eyes wide with excitement. "Do you think people will like it?"

"Like it? Hunny, the crowd's gonna go nuts when they hear it!" Tenten beamed back. "You write that?"

"Yeah. It was an older song I had been working on but the lyrics weren't quite right. So I redid it and well," she said and swung her hand out and behind her, "this is the finished product."

Sakura turned around and gave the band an energetic round of applause. "Thanks so much, fellas, you were amazing! All that's left is to play it for Sasuke and if he give it the thumbs up, we'll play it next week when we open."

The band behind her let out a ruckus of shouts of approval mixed with sore muscle groans and laughter. As they all began to get up and gather their things, the clatter of instruments filled the club and Sakura smiled wide at it all. She was finally going to take a chance and sing one of her own songs. Taking in a deep breath, she resolved to make it her best show ever.

"Gaara's gonna flip when he hears it!" Tenten said and Sakura turned to meet her.

"You think so?"

"I always catch him listening to all your songs on club nights," Tenten said with a smirk and a raised brow. "Never seen him frown during a single one."

Tenten gave Sakura wink. "Any news yet on the California front?"

Sakura sat down on the stool next to the mic stand and chewed her bottom lip. "None." She turned her green eyes up at Tenten. "I can't ask him to stay. I won't do that to him. Instead, I just keep hoping he'll ask me to go with him."

Tenten placed her hands on her hips and nodded. "Yeah… but you shouldn't be afraid to tell him how you feel either. Maybe he doesn't think you'd wanna leave New York and the club."

"True," Sakura answered. "I guess I'm kind of hoping this song will help me say the words, ya know?"

Tenten let out a laugh. "If the words to this song don't spell it out for him, then I don't know what will."

Sakura let out a laugh and then looked to the band as they were leaving the stage and exiting the club. "Bye, guys! Thanks again!"

"Goodnight, Sakura."

"Great song!"

The band shuffled out the stage door and some climbed the stairs and headed out the main entrance. As the club emptied, Sakura turned her attention back to Tenten. "Do you really think Sasuke's going to open the club next week?"

Tenten grabbed one of the of the nearby chairs and pulled it closer. "I don't know," she said and sat down. "He and Naruto have been locked up at Pierrepont going over plans but so far haven't filled us in. The last thing I was told, was to put up a sign in the box office window letting people know we'd reopen next week."

Sakura nodded. "I know I'm not clan but…" she paused biting her lip. "Is it true that Madara had Sasuke's parents killed?"

The brunette eyed the singer for a moment and then crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair. "Gaara doesn't share much with you does he?"

"Not about clan business. About that he stays pretty tight lipped," she answered. "I think he's afraid I'll worry too much." Sakura rubbed her hands across her lap, straightening out the creases on her white dress. She had worn it just in case Gaara showed up at the club during rehearsal.

"It's probably for the best," Tenten said. "As for Sasuke's parents," she said in a lowered voice, "It looks that way."

Sakura's heart sank. "Poor Sasuke. First Itachi and now his mother and father. No wonder Gaara never wants to tell me anything. Protecting an Uchiha isn't exactly safe job." She let out a sigh and creased her brows.

Tenten leaned forward a bit. "Don't let it worry you too much. Gaara's not the kind of man to act rash and I'm sure whatever plan they're all cooking up will have us rid of Madara soon."

Sakura nodded but knew better. Though hardly ever rash, Gaara still had a hard streak in him and Sakura's worry spiked.

Clearing her throat she instead let her mind drift to the young Uchiha. "I feel bad for Sasuke. I can't imagine what he must be going through, losing his whole family like that."

"Yeah. I never got to meet Itachi but I met their parents once. Seemed like good people," Tenten answered back. "It's a hard business we're in."

"It was Itachi who paid to get me out of the factory," Sakura said softly and then brought her head up to look around the club. "He brought me here and said I could work here as a waitress." Her eyes shined and a gentle smile touched her lips. "Everyone always thought he was so scary and unapproachable, but I remember the kindness in his eyes when he told me I didn't have to work at the club if I didn't want to but that there would always be a job for me here if I needed one."

Both ladies looked at each other and smiled.

"Well," Tenten got up and stretched. "It looks like everyone's gone home. Whaddya say, Pinkie? You ready to head back to Pierrepont?"

"Definitely." Sakura stood up from her stool. "I'll just grab my things from the dressing roo -" Suddenly the pink haired woman froze and locked her sights on the man coming down the entrance staircase.

Not missing the look, Tenten spun around. "Don't leave my side," she muttered low enough so only Sakura could hear, and then readied herself as she watched Uchiha Madara stride toward them both.

"I need to speak with Sakura, alone," Madara said not bothering to look at Tenten but choosing instead to keep his dark stare on the Pink Lady.

"Consider yourselves alone," Tenten quipped back without moving so much as an inch from Sakura's side.

Adjusting his solid black suit, Madara finally looked down at the brunette, his eyes hard. "I'll give you credit for your spunk, little stripling, but you are treading on a dangerous path." The edge in Madara's voice might have frozen anyone else in fear, but Tenten had already caught Juugo watching from the entrance balcony out of the corner of her eye, knowing full well he would have followed protocol and alerted Sai to make his way to the stage door. Though she knew to never underestimate the Uchiha patriarch, a sweet smile coated her ruby red lips as she stood there fully enjoying her current odds.

"My apologies, Uchiha-sama, but I have my orders. After the attempted robbery, I am to remain by Sakura's side during all rehearsals and then escort her home after." She gave a nod to the elder Uchiha and held her smile. "I'm sure you wouldn't want me to disobey Sasuke's orders."

"What I would like -"

"It's okay Tenten, I have nothing to say to Madara." Sakura boldly brought her eyes up and steeled them at the Uchiha. "If you wouldn't mind driving me home, I'm ready when you are, Ten," she said.

"Sure Sakura, let's -"

Madara was fast. He moved forward and grabbed Sakura's arm. Tenten had just enough time to signal Juugo and Sai before turning to face the mob boss. Knowing she couldn't make any outright moves against him, Tenten held back, hoping she'd be able to convince him to walk away before things got ugly.

Gripping one of her arms, Madara yanked the club singer, and shook her closer to him. "I've invested money in you," he growled. "So before you go thinking you're miss high and mighty, never forget what you are; nothing more than a whore for hire."

Sakura's face burned at his words, but knew it was too late to try and hide her past at this point. Ignoring the embarrassment of Tenten standing nearby, Sakura let her anger take control.

Though Madara missed the movement, Tenten hadn't. Maybe it was because the old Uchiha never would have imagined the pink haired woman finding enough nerve to behave so brazenly, that he didn't notice when Sakura's other hand dipped into the slit of her dress. In mere seconds, she pulled out a knife and swung it open with the flick of her wrist; hours and hours of practicing with the newly bought balisong Gaara had given her, finally paying off. With her green eyes fire-lit and staring back at Madara, she wedged the knife hard into his groin and twisted her hand so the sharp edge would send a painful threat to Madara; letting him know it would either be her arm or his balls.

The Uchiha froze, eyes blazing at Sakura. "You worthless piece of -"

"Aa-ah-ah, Marada," Sakura said and dug her blade in harder causing the man to flinch and shove her away.

Immediately Tenten moved, placing herself between the two. "I think it's time I escort the lady home." She turned her head slightly but didn't take her eyes off Madara. "Why don't you go and collect your things, Sakura and we'll be on our way."

Madara adjusted the front of his pants and threw both women a snide grin. "No matter what Sasuke has told you, I will see to it this club is shut down. It's only a matter of time before you come crawling back to me, begging for work."

"I will never work for you again." Sakura did her best to keep her voice hard and fight back her fear. Determined to bury that weak girl she once was, she lifted her chin and with all her strength took a step forward. "If you come near me again, I'll kill you."

A dark smile spread across Madara's face.

"I think it's time to leave." Tenten gently took hold of Sakura's arm and tugged her toward the stage door where Sai was already waiting. "If you'll excuse us, Uchiha-sama. Please have yourself a pleasant evening." Tenten shot a look up to Juugo and then to Sai as she pulled Sakura with her. Sai walked forward passing the two women as they left through the stage door and planted himself in between the stage and Madara, and Juugo took off his jacket and tossed it to the floor, revealing the two firearms he had strapped to his sides.

Keeping his smile firmly in place, Madara turned around and headed back up the entrance staircase. Even though he didn't acknowledge Juugo as he passed by him, the large ginger followed him out of the club and watched as the Uchiha made his way through the lobby and out the main hotel doors. Once Juugo saw a car pull up to the curb and Madara climb in, he walked straight to the front desk to get to the telephone.

As soon as Sakura entered the dressing room, she pushed past Tenten and ran to the sink near the back and threw up into the basin.

Tenten came up next to her holding out a towel and turned the faucet on. "Here."

Sakura looked up. "Thank you," she said and reached for the towel with a shaking hand.

"It's the adrenaline. Take a few deep breaths and cool your face with the water," Tenten said and gave the nightclub singer a gentle smile.

"Guess I'll never be crew material, huh?" Sakura tried to laugh but the sound came out strained and broken. She ran the towel under the water and then pressed the cloth against her face, letting the coldness refresh her.

"You kidding? That was one of the bravest things I ever saw," Tenten replied. "Incredibly stupid," she added. "But very brave."

Sakura rinsed out her mouth and wiped her face again. "I sure feel stupid. Look at me, I can't stop shaking." Sakura stood up and held out her hands, offering them up to Tenten as if somehow the dark haired woman would know how to stop the trembling.

Tenten ignored her hands and instead pulled the Pink Lady in for a hug. "The shaking will ease off soon," she said and gave her a tight squeeze before stepping back to try and catch Sakura's eyes with her own. "But if I were you, I wouldn't mention to Gaara what just happened. I know he gave you that blade so you could protect yourself, but I doubt he'd be thrilled to hear you tried to take on Uchiha Madara on your own."

Sakura nodded in agreement and took in a deep breath. "Thanks Ten" She managed a smile and let out a long breath. "I think it's time to head back."

"Sounds great. Grab your stuff and let's get you home."

Picking up her bag and putting on her long black felt coat, Sakura then walked to where Tenten was waiting at the dressing room door. The brunette then turned and led the way out. As the two women strolled back into the club to take the stairs to the lobby, Tenten spoke up.

"Hey Sakura?"

"Hm?"

"I was wondering. Where exactly were you hiding that knife?" Tenten slid a look at the club singer, eyeing her slim white dress, and raising her eyebrows in curiosity.

A broad smile filled Sakura's face and she finally felt her nerves begin to settle down. "The same place you hide yours, Ten," she answered and both girls broke into a fit of laughter as they walked through the hotel lobby and left The Tokyo Palace Hotel.

* * *

Sasuke placed the telephone down onto the nightstand and rolled back over to where Naruto was lying and waiting with questioning eyes.

"That was Juugo. Madara paid another visit to the club."

Naruto sat up. "Gaara said Sakura had gone to the club to rehearse, was she still there?"

"She was there but so were Tenten and Sai." Sasuke moved closer to Naruto and then laid back down against the pillows, pulling the blanket with him. "And from what Juugo said, it seems like your childhood friend has been picking up a thing or two from the redhead."

Still sitting up, Naruto looked down at Sasuke, confused. "What do you mean?"

"And I think Itachi was right about moving up the plans to next week. There's no way Madara will wait much longer now," Sasuke said thoughtfully. He laced his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling.

"Sasuke." Naruto's tone was sharp and the Uchiha turned his head.

"Sakura threatened Madara with a knife when he grabbed her."

Naruto's eyed went wide. "She -"

"Almost cut his dick off. Even made him wince the way I heard it." A flicker of amusement flashed in Sasuke's eyes. "I might have to reconsider that girl. Albeit an incredibly stupid move on her part, I'll give her points for showing some grit."

"Holy hell," Naruto breathed out. "Shit."

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"If Gaara finds out..." Naruto didn't finish as his mind reluctantly went to how Gaara reacted the last time he found out someone had tried to hurt Sakura. An uneasy look passed over Naruto's face.

"Then we won't tell him," Sasuke said, easily reading his worry-filled eyes.

"Yeah…" Naruto said.

For a moment, Sasuke eyed the man next to him and then turned on his side, facing him fully. "What about you?"

Pulled from his thoughts, Naruto blinked back at him.

"Everything's that's happened. I know you don't want to talk about your parents, and I'm trying to respect that." Sasuke gave Naruto a slighted look. "I'm not a patient man."

"Don't I know it," Naruto said back.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Are you... alright?" He did his best to keep the frustration he was feeling out of his tone. Pushing too hard would only make matters worse, he reminded himself, and again thought to how little time he and Naruto had left.

Naruto smiled at the familiar words. "I'm not sure how to explain it." He leaned back against the headboard and ran a hand through his blond hair.

Surprised by Naruto's sudden willingness to talk, Sasuke sat up, giving his lover his full attention. "Take your time," he said and Naruto gave him a weak smile back.

"I know you wanna know why I'm not interested in meeting him… them." Naruto took a deep breath and leaned his head back against the headboard. "Your parents were taken from you, and for while, your brother. You've made a life out of protecting and honoring your family." Naruto chewed his bottom lip but kept his eyes straight ahead and away from Sasuke's scrutinizing stare. "How am I supposed to explain to you, how I'm feeling?"

Of course Sasuke could understand the point Naruto was trying to make, even if he was being as vague as possible. When Naruto told Itachi not to inform Namikaze Minato that his son was alive and in New York, Sasuke had been dumbfounded. How could Naruto not want to know his family? His clan?

Noting the way Naruto was avoiding his gaze, a firm resolve settled within him. "I'm not going to pass judgement on you for your choice, Naruto. I'm only curious as to why." A slight twitch lifted at Sasuke's mouth and he wasn't sure why it felt like a half-truth.

Naruto raised a knee under the covers and rested his arm across it. "I've been on my own for a long time." Naruto paused, considering. "Whatever fantasies I had about finding my parents, came and went years ago. Now, I just do what I need to for myself and for Gaara. I haven't really cared about anything else."

"I didn't -" Naruto began and then stopped again. _Best to just spit it out_ , he thought and turned his body to face Sasuke who was watching him intently. "When Itachi told me about Minato and that I had parents in Japan, I didn't feel anything." Naruto took in a sharp breath and stared back at Sasuke. Shaking his head in honest to god confusion, he went on. "I didn't feel a thing. Not excitement or curiosity or happiness… other than the initial surprise and shock, of course, I didn't feel a thing. I still don't."

"Any idea why?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto shrugged. "At the time I thought it was because I didn't care."

"And now?"

Even though his thoughts were still banging around in his head without much form, Naruto tried to find the right words. Words other than, _I don't know._

"I think..." Naruto chewed the inside of his lip. "I think I've just reached a point where it doesn't matter anymore. Having parents. I've made all my own choices and I've done it without the help of a mother or a father."

Both men looked at each other, and while Sasuke didn't see any lie in Naruto's eyes, he wasn't so sure his bedmate was revealing the true depth of his feelings. Still, no matter whether Naruto was holding anything back or not, he knew giving him time to sort it out on his own would be best. _But would there be enough time?_ Sasuke pushed away the thought and nodded at Naruto's words. For the moment, he decided to accept his reasons.

"I'm going to see if Yamato will bring up a late dinner. Think you could eat something?" Sasuke turned and got up.

Naruto watched his lover's naked body leave the bed. The hard headed Uchiha was showing surprising restraint. He had expected Sasuke to try and convince him that having a family was more important than whatever life might be waiting for him in California. And if he were completely truthful, he half expected the gangster to try and persuade him to join -

"Naruto?" Sasuke was looking at him. "Everything okay?" Sasuke had pulled on a pair of drawstring pants and was watching him from the side of the bed.

"Yeah, I was just thinking I should probably call Kakashi sooner rather than later. If we're planning on finalizing the plans tomorrow, I think it would be a good idea to have him in on everything from the very beginning."

Sasuke doubted that was what the blond had on his mind a moment ago, but figured if it was related to Naruto's earlier difficulty over expressing his feelings, it was probably better not to push. Also, the blond had a point. Given Kakashi's access to police headquarters, the white-haired joker would no doubt prove useful to their plans and Sasuke was never one to ignore someone's usefulness.

"I agree," Sasuke answered and then paused, mulling over his thoughts.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"Something tells me my dear brother won't run the risk of me getting to Kakashi first."

"You think Itachi's going to tell him tonight?" Naruto got out of bed and begun putting on the pair of cotton pants he had left lying on the floor..

Sasuke's eyes cleared and he looked over at Naruto, again wearing his pajamas. His eyes dropped and lingered at the way they hung low on his hips, as if tempting him to walk over and pull them lower to bear the tan flesh beneath. Sasuke licked his lips, thinking of the salty smooth flavor of Naruto's skin that he'd grown to crave.

"Oiy, _teme,_ my eyes are up here."

Immediately Sasuke lifted his gaze and met the dancing gleam in Naruto's eyes. He lifted a brow at the blond, completely unfazed at being caught staring at the delicious contours of his lover's body.

Naruto smiled. " _Your brother?"_ he said, enjoying his ability to distract the stoic gangster. "You think he's gonna find a way to meet with Kakashi tonight?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if that one-eyed idiot was already here," Sasuke said, keeping his eyes on Naruto while slowly walking towards him. "My brother doesn't enjoy being outflanked. He'll find a way to speak to Kakashi before either of us gets the chance to do it first."

There was no mistaking the look is Sasuke's eyes as he approached, and like any addict, Naruto's heart began to race at the anticipation of getting his fix. Again, he pushed away thoughts of future goodbyes, whether or not he was making the right decision about his parents, and clan warmongering. Tonight, Sasuke was all he wanted to think about.

"Something tells me I'm not gonna get any dinner," Naruto said as Sasuke reached out and wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him in with a soft grunt.

Sasuke dipped his hands under Naruto's waistband and slid his palms over and down the arch of his ass. Cupping each cheek, he gripped hard and pulled, grinding their growing erections against each other.

Naruto put one arm around Sasuke's neck while the other found its way to the side of his face, caressing the pale ivory skin before moving to tease the Uchiha's soft lips with his thumb.

"I can still call down to Yamato," Sasuke said, brushing his lips against Naruto's calloused digit and loving the rough feel of it. "We can eat, then fuck," he said and grinned.

The sight of Sasuke smiling, lept in Naruto's chest. There was nothing more beautiful. The crease between his brows, gone. The hardlined mask across his face, fading. With eyes lit like the night sky, highlighting every stunning facet of the Uchiha's rare smile, Naruto beamed back and then crushed his mouth to Sasuke's, feverishly kissing him.

"Fucking it is," Sasuke breathed into Naruto's mouth and dug his hands into Naruto's firm ass. Dragging him backwards, Sasuke moaned in satisfaction as they clung to each other and tumbled back into bed.

* * *

It was half past eleven when Kakashi, lounging on his bed, looked up from his book. Now, it wasn't because Kakashi had some sort of sixth sense or was harboring mysterious clairvoyant skills that made the man more alert than most. The simple truth of it was that Kakashi was just a man who paid attention to detail.

You see, the family in 9A would start shouting around seven in the evening for their little ones to hurry to bed, sending the sounds of frantic pattering up and down down the hall as their parents tried to corral them. At exactly 9:15, Mrs. Lobowska, banging on her stuck window pane until it budged right before slamming up the frame causing the walls to vibrate at least two apartments over, would bring her plants in from the fire escape for the evening. And Mr. Hemmel, well, he came home around ten forty-five, always carrying a paper sack and wearing a dirty brown long coat; climbing the stairs in a banging slide fashion. _Shwoop-thunk. Shwoop-thunk._ Up and up until he came to 15B. Every night, the sound of his door creaking open, slamming shut and the turn of the locks floating toward Kakashi's ears.

There was nothing Kakashi didn't notice. He tracked every neighbor, all their routines and each sound associated with their comings and goings. Once home from training, he'd lay in his bed and thumb through his books while simultaneously crossing the night's events off his list one by one. The rugrats in 9A. Hemmel. The old man two brownstones over who passed by his window, shuffling his feet along the concrete sidewalk during his nightly constitutional.

So when Kakashi heard a set of firm and heavy footsteps working their way up the stairs, it took him only seconds to react. Down the metal fire escape and back around the front of the building he went until he was through the apartment entrance; tactically climbing up the stairs only two floors behind the unknown interloper. _Cla-clunk. Cla-clunk. Cla-clunk_ resounded in the dank, dimly lit stairwell as Kakashi crept up behind, closing the distance. Not making a sound, he unsheathed a six inch blade from the holster on his waist band and peeked around the corner of the third floor landing to see a dark-haired man close to his own age, raise his hand and knock on the police liaisons door.

There was no noise as Kakashi, with expert finesse, moved forward and came up behind the man at his door. In one instant, he slid his knife against the stranger's neck while his left hand moved to wrap around the man's shoulders to try and hold him in place. But the older man was having none of it. He swiftly blocked Kakashi's left hand, slapping his right hand firmly around Kakashi's wrist and with his left, took hold of Kakashi's left elbow, applying enough pressure to warn the one-eyed man that if he made a move with his knife, he would snap his arm inward at the elbow.

"Not bad," Kakashi said from behind. "You're definitely better than most I've come across."

"Then perhaps it's best you not try your luck," the man replied, making no move to let go.

Kakashi held still. "You first," he said flatly, keeping his knife just below the man's Adam's apple.

"I was sent to find you and bring you to Pierrepont. My name is Yamato."

 _Yamato._ Kakashi knew the name. "Naruto and I already decided it wasn't -"

"Yes, but your presence is requested," Yamato said calmly and waited to see what Kakashi's next move would be.

As Kakashi withdrew his knife, Yamato released his hold on his arm and both men eased back from one another. With a flick of his wrist, Kakashi spun his blade and slid it back into its holster on his hip and pushed both his hands into his pockets.

Yamato tugged on his vest and then stepped past the one eyed man. "I have a car. Follow me."

Kakashi stared after him for a second. Yamato made no attempt to plea or bargain for trust. He had simply expected it as he walked off and headed back down the stairs. The silent ultimatum impressed Kakashi. _Trust me or don't,_ his actions said and Kakashi couldn't help but like the man all the more for it.

"Has Sasuke made all the arrangements to move up the plan?" Kakashi asked as they drove through the borough toward Pierrepont.

"I was only asked to bring you to the manor," Yamato replied, not looking away from the road.

"Hm." Kakashi pulled his gaze away from the man behind the wheel and stared out the windshield. A strange feeling of trepidation stole its way into him. It was plain that Yamato wasn't interested in fighting him or lying to him; he could feel no emotion whatsoever coming from the man. But still, Kakashi couldn't shake the feeling that something big was going down. Something he suddenly felt ill prepared for.

"Is he planning on making a move tonight?" Kakashi pressed and this time Yamato turned to glance at him.

"I only know of a meeting they're planning but I don't know the timetable," he replied. "I know there are a few major points that need to be adjusted before everything is set into motion."

Kakashi nodded feeling a bit better at Yamato's willingness to try and ease his anxiety about what this midnight summons could be about. Again, he looked to the road ahead. Whatever the reason, this late night house call had his brain churning.

As they neared Pierrepont, Yamato pointed to the bag on the floor near the passenger seat. "If you don't mind."

Inside the bag was a fedora and a long black trench coat. Kakashi had left his place without either and thankfully, Yamato had the foresight to bring both along. Covering up as much of his shocking white hair as he could with the hat, he then pulled on the coat just as the car turned down the street, taking them into the quiet neighborhood along the New York harbor.

Yamato pulled up to the manor and set the car in park. He got out, opened the garage door and then drove them inside. Once inside he repeated his actions, this time closing the metal door and tightly securing it before joining Kakashi at the entrance leading into Pierrepont.

"Is everyone asleep?" Kakashi asked. Though he hadn't been to the manor more than once, he assumed that the late hour, would have called for at least one of Sasuke's crew to be on duty, waiting to meet them when they arrived.

But Yamato didn't reply.

The austere caretaker led Kakashi into the home and to the main staircase. Up he went with Kakashi following close behind. Not used to the nervousness that was settling within him, Kakashi took off his hat and ran a hand through his white hair. When Yamato continued down the third floor landing instead of wrapping around the railing to make his way to the fourth floor, Kakashi paused.

Yamato didn't look back, but instead kept his pace down the hallway and into the east wing of the manor.

Kakashi's mind scrambled. There were no meeting rooms this way. He had been through the rooms on the third floor with Naruto just a few days ago and other than guest bedrooms and studies, the only other room on this floor was the Uchiha's dojo. Had Naruto gone through all this trouble to set up a training session in the middle of the night? He stuffed his hands into his pockets but stayed alert as he resumed trailing after Yamato.

"The door is open. You can go on inside." Yamato motioned to the door on the far right and then immediately turned and walked past him, heading back the way they'd come.

There was no sound other than the soft padding of Yamato's footsteps as he headed back down the main staircase and out of sight. Kakashi watched him go while quietly dissecting every possible reason why he would have been summoned at such a late hour to a third floor guest bedroom at the far end of Pierrepont's east wing. Turning his head, he stared at the doorway he had been instructed to enter. Finally deciding it was always best to see things through to the end, Kakashi went to the door and held up a hand to knock, then hesitated. Reaching instead for the handle he turned it and walked inside.

In mere seconds, Kakashi, a man of details, took in the whole of the room.

Straight ahead a large, plain four-poster bed was pushed up against the farthest wall. Heavy black drapes were pulled over the broad windows on his left, blocking out any view beyond. Solid black rugs at his feet. Wooden floors throughout. Everything minimal, sparse. Against the wall to his right, chocolate colored leather bound chairs bookended a similarly upholstered sofa and two dark haired men were standing motionless in front of it quietly conversing. Both then stopped and turned to look his way when he entered the room. A soft click of the bedroom door closing behind him, the only sound against the silence.

For a moment Kakashi only stared, not really believing. The same oil rich eyes. The same long ebony hair pulled back so only a few loose strands brushed against the ivory sheen of his face. A simple black suit, fitted with perfect elegant lines. And the man himself, giving Kakashi a tired but eversharp look that pierced through him. Kakashi took a mental note of the unknown man standing nearby, but kept the force of his attention on the one now moving to fully face him.

"Kashi," the man said and Kakashi's heart thudded loud at the sound of the familiar deep voice.

 _No._ Kakashi squeezed his eyes shut. " _Uragirimono_ ," he growled and threw the hat in his hand to the ground.

The man standing next to his former lover moved protectively in between the two and Kakashi opened his eyes at the sound of the movement.

"Shisui," Itachi said soft and placed a gentle hand on the man's arm. Shisui nodded, then turned and walked away.

A deep ache wracked through Kakashi at the sight and he lowered his gaze to the floor. "Is this why you called for me? To restore what you took, only to take pleasure in ripping it from me all over again?" Raising his angry eyes, he saw that the man Itachi called Shisui had moved away and was now sitting quietly on the farthest leather chair.

"What did I take from you, Kashi?" Itachi asked and moved closer to the white haired man.

"You know damn well what you took and don't call me that!"

"What would you like me to call you?" Itachi said and moved closer.

"Stop it," Kakashi bit out and again looked to where Shisui was sitting, expressionless and eyes watching. He then looked back at Itachi. "What a cruel game you play, Uchiha." He hardened his one eye at Itachi and then turned and headed for the door.

"This isn't a game. Shisui knows about you and I but refuses to leave my side."

Kakashi stopped and turned back. As angry as he was, he wasn't an impetuous man by any means. "Tell me," he demanded.

"I was forced by the Federal Government to lie. I returned just last night." Itachi took another step closer. "After the explosion, I left the states and returned to Japan where I met Shisui during an unfortunate misunderstanding of mistaken identity." Itachi nodded his head to the side, indicating to where his travel companion was sitting. "I then returned to New York with the hope of collecting my family before the U.S. Marshall made good on his promise to take down all the Japanese crime syndicates in Brooklyn. Shisui accompanied me to help me see it all done but, I was too late to save my mother and father."

Kakashi stared back, easily following Itachi's explanation and putting all the pieces together. Faked death and government plots. Knowing Itachi like he did, it didn't really surprise him to learn that the Uchiha was caught up in the middle of it. Some of his anger cooled, and he decided for the moment, to hold his ground rather than make for a hasty exit.

Kakashi prided himself on being above carrying on like some spurned lover. Ignoring Shisui's presence, he calmly spoke. "I'm deeply sorry for your loss," he said low. "We were all convinced the hit would be on Sasuke, that I failed to see -"

"There was nothing you could have done."

"But you asked me to -"

"I asked you to watch over my brother," Itachi cut in. "And he is still alive. You kept your word, Kashi, and I'm forever indebted to you."

"I think Naruto had more to do with that than I did," Kakashi said and pushed his hands into his pockets.

" _Naruto,_ " Itachi mused and then motioned for Kakashi to follow him. "I have to say, I was surprised to find him sharing a room with my brother."

Still apprehensive, Kakashi, followed him to the table near the large covered window. "You didn't," he said

"I was lucky to have missed the main event but I happened on them not long after I'm sure."

"You and your games." Kakashi's voice again went low and Itachi looked back at him.

"I did what I had to, to save my family."

"I don't doubt you," Kakashi answered flatly.

A quiet settled in the room. "Kashi," Itachi said. "Will you for -"

"I'm surprised Pierrepont is still standing. Your brother isn't exactly known for his easy going temperament," Kakashi said, cutting him off. The sound of Itachi trying to apologize had filled Kakashi with an uncomfortable chill of shame. When had Itachi ever been anything less than honorable? Principled. Even as his own bitterness at being left behind -and replaced, consumed him, Kakashi couldn't stomach listening to Itachi ask for forgiveness.

"He eventually calmed down after a bit of help from Naruto," Itachi answered, not missing the overt deflection.

"Naruto," Kakashi echoed.

Itachi reached for the box on the table and lifted the top off. Inside was fat bulbed ceramic pot that was sealed off at the narrowed end. Itachi lifted up and held it out to Kakashi. "I've never been much of a drinker, but I remembered how much you enjoy your evening sake."

Kakashi took the bottle and turned it over in his hands, appreciating the craftsmanship and the delicate Japanese writing that decorated it. Realizing the meaning behind the gift, he swallowed slow and looked up at his former lover.

"Thank you… Itachi."

The two men stood for a moment, staring and silently shuffling through their shared memories together. The gym. The veranda. The late nights in the club suite.

Kakashi gave him a slight nod and again looked down at the sake bottle. It was only natural that Itachi would have moved on after being away for so long, he thought. At least he had the decency not to hide it or play Kakashi for a fool by stringing him along. No, instead the Uchiha had laid it all out in the open for him to see, knowing the one eyed man always appreciated the hard truth over a placating lie. However brutal Itachi's tactics, Kakashi knew better than to doubt it was what the man had deemed necessary to make his point.

For Itachi, it wasn't hard to miss the look on Kakashi's face. He was never good at ignoring the obvious and wasn't about to do so now. Plans still needed to be formulated and there wasn't any time leftover for romantic angst. If he was going to make his case, it would be best if he did it now.

"Kashi," Itachi began and reached back into the box on the table. "I didn't have Yamato bring you here to give you a goodbye gift." From the box, he pulled out three small sake cups and placed them on the table in front of Kakashi. Itachi then looked back up at him and waited.

With his one good eye on the Uchiha, Kakashi held his stare for a moment and then reached for the knife on his hip. After cutting cutting through the seal on the sake bottle, he poured the sweet smelling alcohol into all three of the cups and then set the jug onto the table.

Itachi handed a cup to Kakashi and took one for himself. "I've decided to stay and help my brother put an end to Madara's ambitions once and for all."

"The plan with the Akatsuki," Kakashi added.

"Yes. We'll go over all that tomorrow." Itachi looked down at his cup and then back up at the white-haired man. "Aside from the plan, I called you here tonight because I intend to leave New York and take Sasuke with me back to Japan." Itachi raised his cup to Kakashi and drank off the sake. "And I want you to join us," he added after a quick swallow.

Kakashi held his cup in midair. His eyes darted over to where Shisui sat silent and then back to Itachi. Without saying a word he shot back the sake and placed his cup on the table.

Not touching the third cup, Itachi reached for the sake and refilled the two now empty ones. "Over the past year, Shisui has accompanied me, to use his words, ' _to try and repay an unpayable debt'_." Itachi picked up two cups and walked to where the other man was sitting. "After a few months of acquainting ourselves with one another, he confessed that his feelings for me were not entirely honorable."

Itachi handed one of the sake cups to Shisui and gave him gentle look. Shisui bowed his head in thanks and Itachi turned back to Kakashi.

"I then told Shisui how I fully intended to return to America to claim what I left behind and bring everything I could, back with me to Japan." Itachi walked back to Kakashi. "And that I was already _so_ _inclined_... with someone else."

A quick slide of Kakashi's eyes told him that Shisui had not yet touched his sake but was waiting for something. He brought his attention back to Itachi and though he was a man who always paid attention to even the smallest of details, his mind was frustratingly blank. Just what was Itachi getting at?

"I won't deny my affection for Shisui or my attraction," Itachi continued. "But being the man that I am, I'm reluctant to replace one companion with another. So I've held back. Deciding it would be better for him to witness first hand, my choice in the matter."

Awareness dawned on Kakashi. Itachi hadn't invited him to Pierrepont to say goodbye and reveal to him, his new lover. It was Shisui who was brutally being made aware of the situation. Made to sit nearby as a silent observer to Itachi's final choice and steadfast declaration.

"Yes," Itachi said. "I can see you now understand the situation." Itachi looked back at Shisui and nodded to him. "However, earlier, while in an unusually generous mood, I agreed to Shisui's request that he be allowed to make his case...," Itachi turned back to Kakashi. "...to the both of us, before I send him from my side."

At Itachi's words, Shisui rose from his chair and walked to where the men were waiting.

There was a brightness to Shisui's eyes and though he tried to selfishly search for fault, Kakashi could find no offense or flaw in the man's intention. In fact, the sheer openness of Shisui's manner as he approached, intrigued Kakashi as to just what sort argument was the man going to make? A plea for him to step aside? And how was Itachi so sure Kakashi would want to leave with him to Japan? Kakashi pulled his attention from Shisui and looked back to find Itachi already watching him.

"You don't want to return with me?"

"I don't know if..." he muttered, not knowing how to continue.

"Kakashi-san." Shisui was now standing next to him and Kakashi faced him, still open-mouthed from not knowing what to say to Itachi. "I think once given a moment to think the offer over, you will make the choice I already see brewing in your eye." Shisui looked directly into Kakashi's one good eye and smiled; sending him a silent knowing from his own.

Not able to resist, Kakashi closed his gaping mouth and let a small smirk lift at its corner.

"Itachi has told me much about you. Of course, I don't harbor any naivete in thinking that second hand information proves familiarity, but from what I've learned, I believe once you hear my proposal, a man such as yourself might be inclined to… see things from my perspective." Shisui raised his sake at Kakashi who snapped out of his daze and picked up his own, raising it back.

Both men drank off the liquor and Shisui held out his hand to the white-haired man. Kakashi handed over the empty cup and watched as Shisui moved to set down both cups and then refill them.

"As Itachi stated, I have refused to leave his side. He saved my life," Shisui said matter of factly and handed a cup back to Kakashi. "And in turn I have dedicated myself to him and his endeavors. It's also now, not a secret that I have found myself quite taken with him and though he has continued to turn me away time and time again, I have refused to take no for an answer."

Kakashi swung his gaze to Itachi whose eyes darkened in response. "No, Shisui and I are not lovers, Kashi." Itachi took a step closer and Kakashi stilled.

The all consuming presence of Itachi wafted over him. Kakashi had never been able to contend with the Uchiha's power to send him over the edge without even touching him and he did his best to appear unaffected.

The two men locked eyes as Shisui continued to speak. "It's true, Kakashi-san. And, if I may be completely honest, tonight was the first time Itachi has allowed me inside his sleeping quarters in all the time we've known each other, and it was only because he expected you to arrive soon."

Kakashi turned his head toward Shisui but kept his sights on Itachi. Slowly he pulled his gaze away and looked at the other man. "Are you suggesting...?"

"I'm merely _asking_ you to consider the scenario. I'm told I can be quite convincing when I put my mind to it." Shisui's face lit up with a confident air and he smiled warmly. "Would you hear me out?" He raised his sake up and tilted his head.

All the details came falling into place and Kakashi, ever the attentive man turned and took in the deep heated look of his former lover's eyes. In response, Itachi raised the sake already in his hand and Kakashi did the same. All three men looked at one another and drank off the alcohol. Again, Shisui took their empty cups and set them down.

With slow moving grace, Itachi stepped in and brought himself only inches from Kakashi. Then reaching up to move the pad of his thumb across Kakashi's lips, he wiped away the moisture left by the sake. Immediately, Kakashi shot a hand up and gripped Itachi's wrist, stopping its motion. A flash of electricity exploded through them both at the agression. Kakashi lifted his chin and leveled his eyes at the Uchiha.

"And how do _you_ plan to convince me?" Itachi cocked a brow at him. "Don't give me that look, Uchiha. You knew damn well there would be a price for ditching me the way you did." Kakashi let out a playful sigh. "Tell me Itachi, do you always believe your little games will go according to plan?"

A positively wicked grin curved the corners of Itachi's mouth. "Yes."

Kakashi took in a sharp breath but did his best to steel himself against the intensity of the Uchiha's smile. He could feel his heart rate skyrocketing but worked to keep his breath even, not wanting to appear rattled.

Making no move to pull his hand from Kakashi's hold, Itachi turned his head to the side but kept his eyes on Kakashi. "Shisui."

"Hai." Itachi's travelling companion stepped away and went to the bedroom door, locking it.

"If I recall correctly, I too can be quite convincing," Itachi said, letting his blatant innuendo drip from the tenor of his voice.

This time it was Kakashi who lifted his other hand, slowly reaching out to Itachi's jawline, letting the side of his thumb and then the inside of his wrist brush against the milky sleekness of Itachi's cheek. Moving his hand farther back, Kakashi took hold of tie holding back Itachi's hair and gently pulled it free.

The jet black tresses spilled around Itachi's shoulders. "Kashi..."

But the one-eyed man only increased his grip on Itachi's wrist. If Itachi wanted to play games then Kakashi would give him one. Flicking his eyes to Shisui, the two men locked eyes and considered one another. It wasn't like Kakashi was novice at reading a room or an individual, and within seconds took in all he needed to know from the man now completely focused on him.

"Shisui," Kakashi said, letting a weight of authority color his tone.

"Hai," Shisui answered and gave a nod and small smile in return.

Kakashi brought his gaze back to Itachi and stared directly into his dark eyes. Shisui moved behind the elder Uchiha and Kakashi released Itachi's wrist. With purposeful ease, Shisui reached around and took hold of the front of Itachi's jacket and began to peel it off, first over his shoulders and then down off his arms. Shisui lay it on the table next them and moved back behind Itachi, reached around him again and began working at the Uchiha's black vest, undoing the buttons one at a time.

"Now," Kakashi said, eyes still locked on Itachi as Shisui silently continued his task. He moved in close so his breath warmed Itachi's slightly smirking lips. "You were saying?"

 _To be continued..._

* * *

A/N: I swear I didn't intend to end the chapter on yet another semi-cliffhanger! It just sort of happened because I wanted to get this out asap and so didn't continue onto the next scene. I also apologize in advance because there will be no account of what exactly happens between Itachi, Kakashi and Shisui in the bedroom. Why, you cry and scream at me? Because I'm planning on _maybe_ adding it later in a side chapter. IF I do, it will only be posted on ao3. Sorry peeps! BUT, I do hope you liked the chapter and I'll get my ass in gear and crank out the next chapter soon. Love and blessings to you all!


	21. Chapter 21: Secrets

**Warning** : Oh let's see… just the usual. Honestly, if you are susceptible to triggers, you should probably not be reading my fic. I dislike the idea of having to bubble-wrap the world for sensitive people. I get that people can read things and get upset but I've gone through my life living and learning this way. So have many others. If I'm watching a movie and a scene comes on that disgusts me or sends me into a fit of rage, I either walk out of the theater or change the channel. I don't expect someone else to be responsible for my mental health. I'm responsible for my own. If my words make you angry, feel free to not read my fics and not like me. But it still won't change my opinion that it's not everyone else's responsibility to make sure you are protected from the big bad. I have done what I could from the beginning of this fic to let people know this was going to have dark themes and explicit sex. As a reader, hell, as a human, ya gotta take some of the responsibility for yourself. Not me or any author should feel like we have to carry your well-being on our shoulders.

 **Author's note** : Okay, so. Yes, I've been gone forever and to avoid a REALLY long A/N I'm not gonna go into it… much. Suffice to say, I had a big blowout with a friend, trump got elected and then I just lost the taste for writing due in part because I kept getting accused of encouraging pedophilia. Like really? So you can probably now guess why my above warning was written with a harsher tone than normal. Listen, Dear Reader… I really don't give a fuck what YOU think is immoral. Go live your life however you want. This one is mine. There is NOTHING pedophilic about a 17yr old dating a 20yr old and if you think there is, then why are you still reading this fic? I've spent many years studying violent crimes against women and children. I've seen the horrors of actual cases involving pedophilia, sexual deviancy and extreme hatred of women. So for you to come to MY fic and try to spout your fucking morality at me is disgusting. How dare you bring your small minded, ignorant and uneducated views to me. Stay away from my fic and out of my comments. Go seek out your sheltered ignorant life elsewhere. NOW -for the rest of you, I am deeply sorry for the long wait. I've been battling doubt and well, lots of other metal hardships for these past 4 months. BUT… I made a promise to finish this fic and so help me, I will see it to the end. Thank you for your continued kindness and the love you have sent my way. Each and every kind comment stays with me, you have no idea. With all my heart… thank you. This chapter is a little over 13k and picks up the morning after where the last chapter left off. The final showdown is right around the corner and be warned, I don't know if everyone will make it out alive but I do know that it will get even darker from here on out. If you decide to stay and see this to the end with me, I promise to give you the best I have. Love and blessings to you all. P.s. I'm sure there are still typos, etc in this but after trying to get this out for 4 long months, I just really don't care anymore hahaha.

 **Disclaimer** **:** Kishi is still the one who owns Naruto and I am still the dumbass who does this all for free.

 ****Special thank you to my KizuBae for reading this over for me! Love you, Bae!****

* * *

 **Chapter 21:** Secrets

The warm musky smell of Sasuke's walk-in closet settled Naruto's nerves. The upcoming meeting with Itachi and the rest of the crew had him feeling a bit anxious but when he breathed in the now familiar scent of his lover, he smiled. His humor was in fine form due to the fact that he left the bathroom to dress in the closet because trying to trying to share the restroom while Sasuke fussed with his hair proved to be more than the Uchiha gangster could handle. Caught staring wide-eyed and biting his lips to contain a smirk, Naruto was promptly thrown a glare that would've made seasoned gangsters tremble. Naruto however, erupted in laughter and walked out, leaving Sasuke to finish primping by himself.

Naruto's smiled widened as he buttoned his dress shirt and considered all of Sasuke's curious little idiosyncrasies.

"Here."

He turned around to find Sasuke now standing behind him holding out a silk tie.

"Try this one instead of the black one you always wear."

Naruto took one look at the blue tie in his hand and fought back a smirk. Early yesterday morning while he and Sasuke took breakfast on the veranda, there had been a light summer rain sometime earlier. And as daylight chased the dawn away, the sky that remained had resembled the rich hue of the tie now resting in Sasuke's outstretched hand.

Naruto brought his eyes up to Sasuke, playfully narrowing them. "When did you buy this?"

"I had it. I never wear this color and thought -"

"Thought what?" Naruto held his smile.

Sasuke settled himself directly in front of him and draped the tie around Naruto's neck. "That the color would suit you," he said and began to wrap and work the tie into a perfect Four-in-Hand knot.

Focused on adjusting the length and cinching the tie, Sasuke missed the soft blue eyes that were scanning his face as he worked the fabric.

Business as usual had returned to the Uchiha's features and as Naruto held still, he watched Sasuke straighten the tie one last time before lifting his eyes to flash him a quick look of approval.

Not wanting to give attention to the gentle humor on Naruto's face, Sasuke turned and began sifting through the clothes rack in search of his trademark vest.

Yes, the strong controlled demeanor Naruto had come to admire about Sasuke, was back, alright. The meeting with his brother and whoever Itachi would be bringing with him was minutes away and while Sasuke would never admit being anxious, Naruto suspected they shared the same tension over what they could expect.

For Naruto, his concerns about the meeting stretched beyond mere clan upheaval. Helping Sasuke see their plans to the end was just the tip. Would Itachi bring up his and Sasuke's involvement? Would Itachi be suspicious of Naruto's intentions? Would he mention Naruto's parents during the meeting? Despite all the scenarios playing in Naruto's head should the elder brother question his motives or cause an awkward scene once the whole crew was assembled, Naruto couldn't help but like the somber Uchiha. His calm, sure demeanor made Naruto want to trust him. The way Itachi gently teased Sasuke with a knowing gleam in his eyes. Even the way the elder played Naruto, trying to fish out information before telling him about his possible parents in Japan, -giving him insight to the older brother's penchant for mind games- Naruto still liked him.

Unlike the younger, Itachi seemed to dislike using force or anger to get to the bottom of things. Gentle manipulation and crafty intellect were his weapons of choice and as Naruto casted a sideways glance to where Sasuke stood adjusting his pinstriped vest, Naruto understood at least one of Itachi's reasons for adopting such a controlling behavior.

With his vest fastened, Sasuke smoothed his hands over the fabric and turned around just as Naruto reached for his jacket.

"I'm going to see if Yamato is setting up," Naruto said and Sasuke paused, taking in the sight of his lover in his favorite charcoal suit, now sporting the bright blue tie he had given him. Sasuke set his jaw and gave a terse nod, doing his best to ignore the way the outfit made Naruto's eyes burn.

Gentle laughter tumbled from Naruto. "Don't hurt yourself."

"Tch." Sasuke turned from him and Naruto yanked him back around.

"Thank you," He said, pulling Sasuke close and hovering his lips over the gangster's. "I should probably get my jacket on. They'll be here any minute," Naruto said.

Sasuke's hands snaked around Naruto's waist. He knew it was time for meetings and carefully laid plans but something held him. Only a short while ago they had both been in the bath and the way Naruto had writhed and moaned when Sasuke shoved him against the wall and spread him open to taste him was still fresh in his mind. Now here he was standing close enough to smell the soap on Naruto's skin and instead of contemplating war counsels all Sasuke could do was calculate in his head how long it would be until they were both back in his bed, fucking and talking the hours away.

A knock on the study door broke the spell.

"I'll go. You can finish with your tie." Naruto stepped back and smiled.

"Hn."

Another round of soft laughter filled the closet and Naruto headed out the bedroom to the study. He managed to slide one arm into his jacket just as he reached for the doorknob.

"Good morning, Naruto." Itachi stood patiently on the landing as Naruto swung the door open wide.

"Heh, good morning, Itachi." Naruto gave him a nervous smile. "The uh, room is ready."

The elder walked slowly in. "Here, let me help you." Itachi reached for the jacket that was still hanging off Naruto's shoulder.

"Oh, yeah, thanks." Naruto turned around and Itachi helped him slide into the other sleeve, then smoothed over his shoulders and tugged on the length, sending an awkward chill down Naruto's spine.

Naruto turned back around to give his thanks and froze where he stood, mouth open.

"I believe you already know Kakashi." Itachi said; his eyes keen and bright.

Kakashi kept his hands in his pockets and nodded at the blond.

Naruto snapped his mouth shut and raised a hand. "Hey." He was about to give his trainer a sly grin when another man walked through the study door.

"This is Shisui. He returned with me from Japan." Itachi stepped farther back, allowing Kakashi to make way for the dark haired gentleman now walking up to Naruto.

"It's a pleasure, Naruto. I've heard so much about you." Shisui held out his hand and Naruto momentarily looked at it and then reached out and shook.

"Hey, I mean, uh, pleased to meet you." Naruto fumbled and winced.

A broad smile came to Shisui's face and he let out a warm sound of laughter. "It's alright. I don't care much for formality either," he said before turning from Naruto to face the other two men.

Just then, Yamato appeared in the doorway pushing a breakfast laden cart in front of him.

"This way," Itachi said and led them all into the large receiving room.

Naruto watched the men move into the next room and followed after them. Since all the drapes had been pulled shut, the room was now lit only by the overhead fixtures and table lamps, giving the room an odd timeless feel. Kakashi and Shisui followed close behind Itachi but neither man seemed to mind the other. _Strange_ , Naruto thought. Given that Kakashi had been Itachi's lover, Naruto would have expected an air of coldness between the two, or at least a stiff regard for one another, but he saw none. What he did see was how comfortable the two seemed, easily moving aside as they neared the ta -

It was a small gesture. As all three men settled around the table, Kakashi placed his hand on Shisui's back and gently guided him to sit in between him and Itachi. The traveler from Japan didn't look back, but instead let the white-haired man direct him to the waiting chair. The slow downward slide of Kakashi's hand lasted only seconds but Naruto saw it and froze.

"Does Sasuke know we're here?"

Naruto jumped and looked beyond the two men to see Itachi watching him. "Uh yeah, he's uh…" Naruto's heart was in his throat. The damn Uchiha was looking at him with a very familiar look. A look he'd seen on his own lover earlier that very morn -

"Naruto?"

"Sorry, yeah." With cheeks burning, his hand went straight for the back of his neck. "He knows you're here, and, uh… sorry." All the air left Naruto's lungs and he slumped a bit.

Not able to help himself, Itachi twitched the corner of his mouth in delight. It was far too easy to play Naruto and wasn't at all hard to see why his little brother was so fascinated with the orphaned street hood.

Now all three of them were eyeing him and his red-faced reaction, and Naruto stumbled backward from the weight of their gaze. "I'm uh, gonna… uh, I'll go see what's keeping him." He turned to hurry out and almost slammed face first into Sasuke who luckily had been quick to grab Naruto's shoulders, just barely avoiding being steamrolled.

"Shit! Sorry, Sasuke." Naruto gave him a grimace and Sasuke stared hard at him for a moment and then spun him back around.

"Uchiha Sasuke." Shisui rose from his chair and went to the younger brother, offering out a hand.

Sasuke took in the soft gentle face of the man as he approached. "You travelled with my brother," he said and cast a glance over at Itachi.

"Yes, and hopefully I can be of assistance."

The open warmth was a bit surprising to Sasuke, but the steel behind the dark eyes now intently focused on him, was exactly what he expected from an acquaintance of Itachi's.

"Sasuke," the younger Uchiha said and an easy smile lifted on Shisui's face.

"Pleasure to meet you, Sasuke. I'm Shisui. Uchiha Shisui."

Sasuke's brow twitched up as they both let go of their handshake.

"There are a few of us left in the small village where I'm from," Shisui said and Sasuke considered his words then held out a hand toward the table, inviting him to take a seat.

Once situated, Yamato who had been quietly attending to his cart, began serving breakfast. Remembering the elder brother's fondness for eggs, Yamato prepared the standard American meal complete with bacon, hash browns, toast with jam and freshly squeezed orange juice. Sasuke reached for the coffee, pouring himself and Naruto a cup before passing the carafe to his brother, as Yamato went about laying out the feast.

A strange quiet fell over the table as they all dug in. If Sasuke hadn't been positive that his brother was keeping a close watch on his every mannerism, he might have shot him an irritated look at his obvious attempt at misdirection. With two men at his precious brother's side and Yamato spoiling him with their made to order breakfast, Sasuke set his jaw and wondered if Itachi ever tired of being everyone's favorite.

Of course it was all subtle because subtlety was still Itachi's favorite pastime, was it not? The way Shisui poured coffee for both Kakashi and Itachi. The way Kakashi silently passed Shisui a napkin and the way Itachi's eyes stayed glued on Sasuke. No, the young gangster was no fool. In fact, if Itachi tried any harder to not meet the gaze of his two lovers, Sasuke might have actually rolled his eyes. This was far from what Sasuke expected their meeting to reveal and once his initial annoyance at the discovery wore off, he became desperate to get down to business and be done with the whole thing. His brother's personal appetite was not something he cared to be aware of; whether it be two lovers or sunny side up eggs.

"You mentioned finding a way to keep the feds out of our plans," Sasuke finally said.

Itachi sipped his coffee. "Yes," he said after a swallow. "But first, Kashi."

The white haired man looked up from his plate.

"Have you been able to procure the men we will need?"

"I was able to locate a member of Anbu named, Yūgao."

"Anbu?" Sasuke asked.

"It's an older order of Japanese criminals," Kakashi answered. "They're said to be descendents of the first Japanese immigrants to arrive in America."

"Really," Naruto said, disbelieving.

"You know the old names; The Bend or Five Points," Itachi said, "but do you know the meaning behind them?"

"The slums. Those areas were once the center of most of the criminal activity in New York back in the day," Naruto answered.

"Not just criminal activity, but riots," Kakashi said. "Wars. Events that helped determine the power plays between the immigrants in this country. Who do you think runs the police departments in New York, Naruto?" Kakashi held Naruto's eyes to his. "That's why they had to raze the entire area to the ground. To erase the evidence of just how it all began." Kakashi set down his fork. "Immigrants run this country, Naruto. We wiped out the indigenous race that lived here and supplanted ourselves in their stead." The edge in Kakashi's tone cut into the men in the room. Sensing his personal feelings regarding the history of America had made an ugly appearance, Kakashi reached for the cigarettes and quietly lit himself a smoke.

Itachi watched his lover for a moment and then continued. "A war broke out. Catholic against anti-Catholic. The papers called it The Dead Rabbits Riot with the Bowery Boys pitted against the Irish gang, the Dead Rabbits but it was a religious war nonetheless. Wars over god are never in any shortage throughout the world."

Itachi took another sip of his coffee and Naruto could've sworn he saw a flash of anger in the elder Uchiha's eyes.

"During this war," Itachi continued, "it is said that the original members of Anbu sided with the Bowery Boys, thinking they would be more accepting of the Oriental culture as several of the leaders frequented the opium dens and had even taken Asian mistresses. They fought for them in the darkened alleyways using their ancient Shinobi practices to help push the tide in their favor."

"But they were betrayed," Kakashi cut in. "Once the dust settled, the Bowery Boys reneged on their word to not attack or undermine the growing Japanese population." Kakashi's voice trailed off, leaving a ominous air in the room as to just _how_ the Bowery Boys may have broken their promise.

"So the Anbu went deep underground. Most of the Japanese clans don't believe they still exist but they do. Sometimes they act on their own and sometimes they are persuaded," Itachi said.

"For the right price," Sasuke added.

"Not exactly," Itachi answered. "No amount of money will make them act against their own principles or agenda."

"Then how-" Naruto said.

"I appealed to their principles," Kakashi replied. "They insisted on a meeting with Sasuke before making their final decision to help us but I think if Itachi met with them instead…"

"Use his knowledge of the federal takedown…" Sasuke added.

"Yes," Kakashi said. "We share what we know and I think the Anbu will be highly receptive to our goals."

"Then set the meeting," Itachi said. "Tell them Sasuke will meet with them at a location of their choosing and I will go in my brother's stead."

"Is that wise?" Sasuke's eyes darkened as he stared at his brother.

"Concerned for me, Otouto?"

Sasuke bristled at his brother's words and opened his mouth to retort.

Itachi held up his hand. "I'll have Kakashi and Shisui with me."

The wry look on Sasuke's face almost made Naruto want to grin. It was becoming clear that he wasn't the only one who could get under Sasuke's skin. Itachi had his little brother figured out to a T and loved to tease him almost as much as Naruto did. _Just to different degrees,_ he thought and lifted his cup, smirking into his coffee.

"The. Feds." Sasuke's voice hardened and the irritation he was feeling at his brother's continued attempts to shorten his patience flashed in his eyes.

Ignoring his brother's impending tantrum, Itachi took a sip of his coffee. "Yes, well the reason Shisui was late in arriving to Pierrepont, was so he could meet with an informant of mine."

"Your U.S. Marshall contact?" Sasuke asked and Naruto jerked his head up in attention.

"No. This is an older contact." Itachi picked up his napkin and made efficient use of it before tossing it onto the table. "One I asked to find out as much as he could about the young girls who were disappearing from the local brothels in Brooklyn."

Sasuke's hand stilled over his coffee cup, then reached for it. He took a heavy drink and met his brother's hard stare. "Then you know."

While Shisui stayed relaxed in his seat, both Kakashi and Naruto scanned both brothers with peaked interest.

"What girls?" Kakashi asked.

"Sasuke?" Naruto looked over at the younger.

Sasuke glanced at Naruto and then back at his brother.

"When I first took over The Palace," Itachi said. "I hired a man from an older Japanese faction to look into the matter. His clan dissolved years ago but he's remained in New York, working in the shadows for anyone willing to pay the right price."

Shisui took the coffee pot and offered more to Itachi.

"Thank you," he said and continued on. "A few years ago, I was invited by the council to tour a local cotton mill we were thinking of investing in. After witnessing some of the deplorable conditions and the treatment of the children working there, I decided to pass on the venture. It was there that I came across Sakura, your current club singer." Itachi brought his coffee cup to his lips and sipped. "I also tried to intervene and purchase a ten year old girl who I thought was far too young for mill work but was told she had already been sold to another."

Naruto dropped his eyes and his hand tightened around his fork. Neither Uchiha missed the movement. Naruto again glanced at Sasuke wondering why he never mentioned any of this to him and just what other secrets his gangster lover was hiding.

"A few weeks later, the same ten year old girl was found murdered." Though Itachi kept his tone even, a soft chill ran up Naruto's neck.

"Kiyoko." Kakashi's eyes were fixed on Itachi and the elder turned to his gaze and nodded. "I remember the story in the papers. They found her in some warehouse near Pennsylvania," Kakashi added.

Naruto's jaw clenched. There was no way it could be a coincidence. "Bushwick, Brownsville and _Pennsylvania,"_ Naruto said low and raised his head. "Madara." He bore his blue eyes into Itachi's, remembering the three warehouses where Konan had set up her men.

Holding Naruto's stare, Itachi continued. "The police questioned me and Madara at the time. Curious, I hired someone to quietly investigate."

"What did he find?" Kakashi asked and lit a cigarette. He passed his smokes to Shisui who polity held up his hand and declined so Kakashi slid the cigarettes to Naruto instead.

"Through several sources, it was learned that three other girls who vanished not long after the first girl, Kiyoko had been found, were last seen with Madara during his routine patronage to Orochimaru's boarding house. There were reports that a few of the missing also came from the Hyuga brothel but my guy wasn't able to tie Madara to those." Itachi's eyes left Kakashi and settled on his brother. "I knew this prior to the explosion. Two nights ago, Shisui met with my contact and was told about the more recent events."

Everyone turned their attention to Shisui.

Clearing his throat, the dark haired traveler spoke up. "Before he left for Japan, Itachi only had a few working girls and boys from Orochimaru's brothel who could corroborate that Madara had paid visits to several of the missing girls. A few weeks ago, three bodies were found and as it so happened, Itachi's hired spy was contacted by Hyuga Neji to try and locate the bodies as leverage against Madara should he try and double-cross him."

"The plot thickens," Kakashi said and crushed out his cigarette.

Nodding, Shisui went on. "Neji instructed Itachi's contact to keep the discovery under wraps. That way if Madara stepped out of line, he could inform the police of the gravesite."

Shisui paused for a moment, taking in the looks of disgust and contempt. "It was at the site that two of the bodies were recognized."

Sasuke turned his attention back to his brother. "These were recent killings?"

Itachi caught Sasuke's eyes. "Yes."

"Is Madara tied to these recent discoveries as well?" Kakashi asked, swallowing around his words to keep his distaste of their topic from lingering too long on his tongue.

"Yes," Itachi said.

"And you think we can keep the U.S. Marshall's office out of things by letting him know we have information on the killer?" Sasuke's eyes darkened.

Itachi kept to his stoic demeanor. "In addition to the ten or so Japanese girls that went missing, at least three young _white_ American girls have also disappeared. Two were from wealthy families in Manhattan."

All four men stilled.

"My spy identified two of the bodies found. One was a schoolchild from the Lower East Side whose parents recently held a dinner party that Madara attended. The other missing girl was the daughter a known antiques dealer in Manhattan who has paid Madara large sums of money to help him acquire several art collections from Europe. Both girl's pictures have been in the papers over the past few months." Itachi's voice came to an abrupt stop which only served to amplify the stunned quiet of the room.

"Fucking christ." Kakashi got up from the table and walked around to the small cabinet and lifted the top. He found a half-empty whiskey bottle and pulled it and several glasses out.

"Thirteen girls," Naruto mumbled.

Kakashi poured out the whiskey and set the cups around the table; Itachi was the only one who declined. The rest didn't wait to drink theirs off as soon as the booze was placed in front of them, knowing any type of toast would be in poor taste.

"And you think with this new information you can get the feds to care about a killer on the loose." Sasuke had always been proud of his heritage. His clan was tied to his identity. However, this was the first time Sasuke felt true kinship with the larger Japanese population and his jaw clenched at the notion that white American girls had to die before anyone would care about a killer preying on Japanese children.

"I do," Itachi answered.

All the men sat in silence as Kakashi reached for the bottle and poured another round.

* * *

The five of them had pressed on, going over details and just how and what Itachi would leak info to his federal contact, before discussing whether or not to let the crew in on Itachi's return. Naruto had spoken up at this, reminding them of the bigger picture. " _If we can't trust our own then there's no point in bringing 'em along for the ride. There's too much at stake to start keeping secrets from the one's who are watching our backs,"_ he told the table and both Itachi and Sasuke had agreed. Naruto even thought he saw a hint of pride flash in his lover's eyes at his comments but there had been no time for blushing. Yamato quickly appeared and he and Kakashi cleared off the table while Shisui helped load the cart. Itachi restocked the alcohol and Naruto was sent downstairs to round up the crew and phone Tenten at the club, to let her know Sasuke would meet with her and Juugo later.

Once assembled, the crew took turns shaking their heads in disbelief and gaping slack-jawed at Itachi. Between Sasori's curses and Gaara's side glances at Naruto over the kept secret, no one noticed Sasuke slip out. As soon as introductions and explanations were out of the way, Sasuke reappeared with Sakura trailing behind him.

At first she just glanced shyly around the room, mostly in surprise that Sasuke had thought to include her. With her hands folded together against her chest, she looked around at the gathered men until her eyes caught and focused on a familiar kind face, - the same face that had rescued her from the cotton mill when she was thirteen years old. Frozen, she stood staring, vaguely aware that the whole room was watching and waiting for her reaction.

"Sakura." Itachi said in a low voice and allowed a touch of softness to reach his eyes.

Her legs felt weak as she took those first few steps, the only sound in the room, the soft sweep of her calf-lengthed peach colored dress as she inched towards the elder Uchiha. Finding her strength, she soon straightened her posture and made her way around the table with confident sure strides.

Itachi put out an arm to take her hand but Sakura pushed it aside and wrapped her arms around his neck. With arms out, Itachi froze, honestly stunned for a split second before gently returning her hug.

"Welcome home, Itachi," Sakura said with her face pressed up against his shoulder.

"Thank you, Sakura."

Summoning her will she stepped back and smiled warmly, determined not cry. She took his hand in hers, squeezed and then walked back to Sasuke.

She placed a hand on his arm and brought her bright eyes up to his. "Thank you."

Sasuke gave her a terse nod in reply.

A sweet smile grew across Sakura's face as she headed back out the way she came. She knew the meeting wasn't for her and was fine leaving the men to their work knowing that now both Sasuke and Itachi accepted her. Along with the crew, they trusted to bring her into their circle. Sakura pulled her shoulders back. She may not be clan but she was bound to them all the same. Even as thoughts of whether Gaara would ever ask her to join him in California swept through her mind, a warm feeling stole over her and she took in a deep breath and knew no matter what the outcome, things were going to be alright. She was going to be alright.

Sasuke sat down next to Naruto and took in the sight around the table. Everyone was either stealing glances at Itachi or the foreign traveler from Japan or nervously pawing at their drinks. He grabbed the cigarettes and Naruto reached for the matches. After lighting two and handing one to Naruto, he slid the pack to Sasori.

"Now's the time to focus." Sasuke blew out a drag from his smoke and cast his eyes around him. One by one they all stilled and a quiet rustle replaced the awkward silence as they lit smokes and downed liquor.

"Every detail, every possibility for error will be dealt with. Once I'm satisfied, Naruto and I will meet with the Akatsuki and finalize the first phase that begins next Friday." Sasuke lifted his eyes to his brother and Itachi rose from his seat.

"Next Friday we make our move, however it's not toward the goal most of you were expecting." The men glanced around trying to get a better look at Itachi as he wound around the table to stand next to his brother.

"I want to make it clear," Itachi said. "that as clan, you are expected to follow orders. While I'm sure you will all no doubt prove your loyalty next week, it would be dishonest to not fill you in on everything." Itachi placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder but kept his hard impenetrable stare on the men around him.

"There will be no expansion of our holdings once Madara is taken out," Sasuke said.

The men looked at the brothers with confusion and questions on each of their faces.

"Aye just spit it out, Sasuke." Sasori lit his smoke and tossed the matches onto the table, shooting the younger Uchiha an expectant look.

Again Sasuke was pleased with himself for seeing in the grumpy redhead what Orochimaru hadn't. "Once Madara is taken out," Sasuke said, "and the Hyuga dealt with or dispatched, I will be returning with Itachi to Japan and the hotel along with the club will be no more."

Gaara and Sasori froze with creased brows, trying to piece together Sasuke's meaning. Even Sai leaned forward and gave the junior gangster a steady stare from across the table.

"The crime families in Brooklyn are currently being targeted by the FBI," Itachi stated flatly. "A contact of mine within the U.S. Marshall's office has divulged the timetable for the takedown of all the Japanese clans."

"Fuck," Sasori breathed out.

Gaara looked to Naruto.

"I wanted to tell you." Naruto shot his best friend a guilty look.

"The decision to keep everything under wraps was crucial," Itachi said, cutting off any discussion about Naruto's choice in the matter.

Ignoring Naruto's surprised face, Itachi pressed on. "In exchange for my cooperation, I've been allowed to take my family with me to Japan and avoid prosecution."

At the revelation, Itachi could see resignation and acceptance in the eyes of his brother's motley crew, but not a single one showed any sign of feeling betrayed. Not that he'd ever admit it, but Itachi was genuinely impressed. His little brother had done well.

"I have acquired passage on a ship set to depart San Francisco for Japan in two months time." Itachi said. "And there is room for each of you _if_ you wish to continue your employment with the Uchiha Clan."

Stunned silence filled the room and resignation was replaced with wide-eyed shock. Gaara, again slid his eyes to Naruto, who tightly shook his head. Naruto opened his mouth to let his best friend know their plans for California hadn't changed but Sasuke spoke up.

"If you stay behind, a cut of whatever is left after we finish liquidating all Uchiha assets will be given to you and we'll part ways. Should you journey with us back to Japan, you will remain clan," Sasuke added.

"All housing and necessities will be taken care of by my brother and I," Itachi said. "Arrangements have already been made."

"What 'bout papers? How're we supposed t'board without papers?" Sasori asked.

"The captain of the ship I've secured, agreed to not ask questions concerning my guests." Itachi said. "None of you have to make your decision now, but come next Friday when we set our plan in motion, I'll expect your answer."

Eyes were glued to Itachi and he sensed a shift in mood. Doubt and uncertainty lifted and the men relaxed into their seats. There was no guarantee of their survival, seasoned players lived day in and out knowing this, but with a choice laid at their feet, Itachi now saw determination and acceptance flood through each of their faces.

It was only the man called, Gaara who didn't seem affected by the news. Near matched in Sasuke's ability to shield emotion, the redhead had taken a bit more of Itachi's attention to pull a good read from him. His glance to Naruto at the mention of Japan. The deliberate way he smoked his cigarette avoiding eye contact with Sasuke. Shifting his gaze away, Itachi walked back to his chair and as he always did with everything that involved his brother, he took note of the obvious bond between Gaara and Naruto and filed it away for future use.

* * *

They stayed planning next Friday's opening so far into the day, that by the time the bright glow behind the curtains faded and dinner was done, everyone looked ragged and worn.

"Of course nothing ever goes a hundred percent according to plan," Sasuke said to the room. "But we'll cross each bridge when we come to it. For now, this is set in stone."

Sasori was the first to push back from the table and stand. "I'll be makin my choice now," he said and turned to give a nod to Itachi. Sasori pulled his shoulders back and faced Sasuke. "I planned on stayin clan for life'n I see no reason to change that plan."

Sasuke lifted his chin at Sas's words.

"I agree with Sas."

Everyone turned their attention to Sai.

"Atta boy, pastey," Sasori said and slapped the expressionless kid on the back. "I knew you weren't no schlepper!"

Sai didn't so much as crack a grin but the rest of the men laughed and chuckled at Sas's words. All eyes flitted to where Gaara sat, then to Naruto, then quickly away, but no one commented on their silence. With some of the tension lifted from the room, one by one they stood and a low thrum of voices started to build. Sasori found his way over to Kakashi and Shisui made his way to Sai, each of them curious about the other. Itachi was just about to make his move toward the much less verbal redhead when he saw Naruto step up to him.

Naruto leaned in close to Gaara, keeping his voice low. "Hey, sorry I didn't tell you before but nothing's changed."

Itachi couldn't make out what the two were saying but his eyes didn't miss the way the redhead's body went tense.

Gaara pulled back and caught Naruto's eyes with his own. "Naru…"

"Sasori." The sound of Sasuke's voice cut through all the conversations and everyone looked his way. "Take Gaara and Sai with you to the club and relieve Tenten and Juugo. I need them to return to Pierrepont right away."

"Hai," Sasori answered and Sai nodded at the order.

"Guess we'll catch up later," Gaara said and moved past Naruto following the other two out the door.

Naruto watched his best friend leave and then turned to Sasuke, brows creased with impatience. Sasuke caught the glare but held his tongue for the moment, turning his attention back to his brother. "It would be better if you three remained for introductions but after that Naruto and I can fill Tenten and Juugo in on the rest."

"Agreed," Itachi said.

"Cigarette?" Kakashi asked the elder Uchiha but Itachi declined.

"I'll join you," Shisui said and the two left the large room and headed to the study.

"Sasuke." Naruto's tone was hard.

Ignoring Itachi's presence, Sasuke went to Naruto. "You know I need the three of them to cover the club, I'm not trying to undermine your plans."

Naruto stared hard at his lover. "You could've at least given me a fucking minute."

"Naruto, we've been at this all day, not counting yesterday and the day before. I want everything laid out now so I can be done with this shit and move on to what's next."

Itachi watched the two men stare each other down and almost smiled at his brother's ability to keep his temper in check. _Naruto,_ his mind whispered and he rose from his seat.

"Gentlemen," Itachi said as he walked past them and left to join Shisui and Kakashi.

"Naruto -"

"Yeah, okay, I get it." Naruto held a hand up and then spun around, pacing and shaking his head. "This. This is the shit I won't miss. War councils and bodyguards. Having to look over my shoulder everywhere I go." He stopped and met Sasuke's eyes. "I know you love it, the adrenaline rush; the whole fucking game, but not me, Sasuke. I'm not like you. I crave peace. A solid ground beneath my feet instead of worrying all the time when it's gonna get snatched out from under me."

Sasuke stared at him. It's not like he hadn't known about Naruto's distaste for the business but now he was forced to consider Naruto's words from the other side of their involvement. Before it had been just an agreement, a business venture the two were taking until October, but now…

"And you think California will be that for you." Sasuke said low, not wanting his distaste for Naruto's plans to again leak through.

"I don't know. Who the fuck knows what's going to happen in the future?" Naruto took a step closer. "All that matters is that I'm gonna try. I'm gonna take my chance at something more than this godforsaken racket."

It was on the tip of Sasuke's tongue to ask. He stood there watching Naruto's eyes burn with determination and the urge to ask him why California and not Japan surged and pushed through him, but his voice wouldn't obey. Scenes from Naruto and Gaara's orphanage escape flashed before Sasuke's eyes, reminding him that Naruto's loyalty for the redhead would never waver. There would be no abandoning his California plans and any invitation Sasuke laid at Naruto's feet would be sidestepped or worse - declined, and no matter how much he cared for his bodyguard turned lover, Sasuke's pride would not allow him to suffer another sting of rejection.

He pushed his hands into his pockets and took a step closer to Naruto. "I think you deserve the chance to try."

Confusion washed over Naruto at the look in Sasuke's eyes but just then Itachi, Kakashi and Shisui walked back into the room and Naruto snapped his mouth shut.

The phone near the back rang and Itachi went to it. "Yes."

Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other.

Again the feeling there was more hiding behind Sasuke's words gnawed at Naruto but there was nothing to be done. They both had made their choices and no matter how much either of them wished for more time, all that was left was the ever present tick of the clock, sounding in their ears, reminding them that time was running out.

No longer caring who stood by to watch them, both men held the other's gaze. Playing coy now would only waste what precious time they had left and neither cared to hide their feelings anymore.

"Once we're finished here and everyone's gone, you and I can go over our plans for the Akatsuki and your friends at the dock," Sasuke said and Naruto nodded, catching his meaning. Naruto's stomach again tightened at the thought of facing his friends with Sasuke at his side and he pushed his mind away from the unpleasantness of tomorrow and instead focused on the look in his lover's eyes.

"They're on their way up," Itachi said to the room and hung up the phone. He turned and noted the way Shisui and Kakashi were avoiding the scene near the entryway. Itachi slid his eyes to where his brother stood and was not amused. There was no mistaking the way the two men were holding each other's attention, silently exchanging their desire to be alone and no longer bothering with modest regard for one another. An annoying and very unfamiliar splinter of anxiety worked its way through him. As with anything that concerned Sasuke, settling or compromising meant very little to Itachi. If his brother's happiness was at stake, Itachi would see it done. But now, with Naruto firm on his decision to leave for California, he knew his stubborn brother would never risk rejection by asking Naruto to join him in Japan. This meant the two were at an impasse that would leave both men kicking themselves for the rest of their lives for letting their pride and obstinance overrule their hearts.

Itachi picked up the pack of cigarettes from the table and lit one.

There was also the redhead to consider, he thought as watched the two men while blowing out a long drag of his smoke. While Itachi couldn't be completely sure, Gaara hadn't seemed thrilled about whatever Naruto had whispered into his ear just before being sent off to the club. Did Gaara share Itachi's concern that Naruto and Sasuke were making a mistake by accepting their separation instead of fighting to remain together? Or was he simply jealous of Sasuke possibly coming between he and Naruto? Itachi set his mind on finding out.

A knock at the study door grabbed everyone's attention.

"I got it," Naruto said in a soft tone and moved away from Sasuke to let the remaining crew members in.

Without a word, Sasuke caught his brother's stare and while there was no mistaking the irritable flash of annoyance Itachi always received from his little brother, behind the pouty temperament was a look Itachi had never seen before. Pained resignation. With a scowl, Sasuke turned from him to greet Tenten and Juugo, and Itachi took one last pull from his cigarette and crushed it out. _Yes,_ he thought, _I should acquaint myself with the redhead soon._

* * *

Batting practice for the New York Yankees cracked and slammed inside Naruto's head. It had been one hell of a day, but now with the stress of it all just minutes behind him, Naruto stood looking around the now empty receiving room, waiting for his brain to catch up. The day was finally over. In relief, he let out the breath he was holding when again it hit him that not only would he and Sasuke be meeting with Konan tomorrow, but that he and his mob boss lover would also be visiting his old gang down at the docks.

Throughout the day's meetings, no amount booze or cigarettes had eased his discomfort over the anticipated event. Even with Sasuke's assurances that his friends would be kept far from the final confrontation with Madara, Naruto still felt as though he had led his friends straight into the shitstorm he and Gaara were now trapped in. And though the all-out clan war hung like a noose over them all, what really had Naruto's gut in a twist was that the same guys he used to stand on street corners with, whistling at passing dames as they loitered on the streets of the Lower East Side under the New York summer sun, would as soon as tomorrow, be introduced to his new lover. _His male lover._

Naruto brought a whiskey filled glass to his lips and drank off what was left as he waited for Sasuke who was downstairs going over last minute arrangements with a couple of Japanese bankers. For a pretty fee, these old world finance men worked two avenues of the underworld and two avenues alone; money and secrets. Seeing how the Uchiha brothers were dealing in both at the moment, Itachi convinced Sasuke that whatever the cost, their services would be worth every penny.

So while Naruto battled with his nerves waiting for Sasuke to return, he drank and began to busy himself with minor tasks. He opened the drapes, wiped down the table, swept the study and made sure the room was put back in its original order. It was nonsense really, all to keep his mind away from tomorrow at the docks. The housekeeper Yamato sent up tried to chase Naruto out with aggressive taunts from her feather duster, insisting he let her do her job but he wouldn't budge. He moved sofas, lifted chairs and carried all her supplies and a vacuum cleaner back downstairs for her, repeating over and over that it was no problem and his pleasure to help.

Now with everything clean and the large room empty, he found himself unable to stop refilling his glass as scenes of Kiba with his big mouth spilling out embarrassment after embarrassment wafted in and out of his head. Shika and his expert eyes, picking up every nuance and tell, and Sasuke eyeballing them all for weakness or competition. He rolled his eyes at this last thought and ran a hand through his hair. Alcohol seemed the better choice, and he poured himself another, wishing his nerves would ease up and let him relax before Sasuke made it back to the fourth floor. Today's dealings were finished so now all he wanted was a little peace. He'd face tomorrow, tomorrow. At least that was the mantra he kept repeating after each drink of whiskey, but his gut, it seemed, wasn't getting it.

 _Gaara,_ his mind pushed out and his hand paused. He looked down at the booze sloshing back at him. Naruto had kept things from him. Information. Sure, the offer to join the Uchiha's in Japan had come as a shock but he was sure Gaara would assume he had kept that from him as well, and didn't he have a right to be suspicious? Naruto was now spending his time with Sasuke. He hardly ever set foot in the apartment anymore and all his suits were now hanging in Sasuke's closet; the two of them practically domesticated with their morning and evening routine of meals, showers and sex.

Gaara had been unceremoniously cut from his life. Naruto stared into his glass and knew he'd be lying if he said his avoidance of his best friend was mainly due to his guilt over getting them both involved in this crazy mob business.

Sure, what started off as an innocent attempt to make money for California had turned into a ride wilder than the Cyclone down at Coney Island, complete with enough twists and bumps to send them both flying outta their minds. But there was more to it, wasn't there? Even finding out who put a hit on Sasuke's life to take them out first now seemed like a walk in the park compared to the chaos that currently surrounded them.

Yes, from the beginning, the job had been one challenge after another. Facing Sakura and Hinata had spun him but that was nothing like whirlwind of the all consuming affair with Uchiha Sasuke. Then Gaara traipsing back to the orphanage for some unknown planned revenge while perhaps becoming more than just friends with Sakura. Sasuke losing his parents and Naruto possibly finding his own, and now a series of child murders committed by the most dangerous leader of the Uchiha clan, and the Federal Government itching to take them all down.

It wasn't hard to see how Naruto found it easy to convince himself that staying away from Gaara was nothing more than a guilty conscience for having dragged him into the whole mess in the first place. But as he slammed back his fifth drink, only one thing froze in his mind as the whiskey burned a path down his gullet, a silent punishment for knowing he was full of shit.

 _Sasuke._

Naruto's fear of facing Gaara had nothing to do with guilt and everything to do with his choice to walk away from the man that managed to unearth a truth inside of himself he now couldn't imagine living without. Gaara would see right through his insistence at keeping to their plans for the west coast and in best friend fashion, call him out on it. He looked down at the empty glass in his hand and his anxiety flared. He wasn't ready for that conversation yet.

Naruto reached for the almost empty bottle and filled his glass again.

"Drinking alone?"

Startled, Naruto spun around and missed his glass, spilling some of the whiskey onto the table and floor. "Shit!" He looked from Sasuke to the mess he'd made. "I was just -" Naruto turned back to the table and cursed. "Fuck, I just cleaned this shit!"

Sasuke frowned at his lover's temper. " _You cleaned?"_

Naruto set everything down and began searching the room for something to wipe up the spilt booze. "Yeah, I mean, there was nothing else to do while I waited and the room was a mess." He found a towel in the small alcohol cabinet and wiped down the table. "Buncha slobs, if you ask me," he mumbled.

"What's happened?" Sasuke asked, walking toward him. He put his hand over Naruto's and stilled his scrubbing. "Tell me."

"Nothing." Naruto didn't look up. "I just…" He didn't want to talk about it. Itachi was taking Sasuke to Japan and Naruto and Gaara were headed to California once this whole mess was done. They both already agreed to the terms of their arrangement months ago. Nothing more needed to be said.

Sasuke's hand closed around Naruto's. It didn't take any of his Uchiha skill to see Naruto's anxiousness. "Then pour me one too."

Finally looking up, Naruto saw there were no questions, no hints of pursuing the matter any further in Sasuke's eyes and it calmed him. He pulled his hand away and went for another glass.

With the last of the whiskey poured for Sasuke, Naruto lifted his own. "To wasting time," Naruto said with a gleam in his eye and Sasuke smirked.

As the two men drank to the old toast, Sasuke watched Naruto. Whatever the reason -and there were many to choose from- he could see now wasn't the time to question what was bouncing around in the blond's head. More and more Sasuke found he didn't need to push to get inside one of Naruto's moods. The man cared for his friends. His loyalty ran deep and Sasuke was no fool in thinking there was any difference between Naruto's friendship with Gaara and his friendship with the guys down at South Street Seaport. He knew Naruto would be devoted to both in equal fashion.

Sasuke also knew his earlier assignment to the redhead had irked Naruto, sending Gaara away before the two had a chance to talk things over. Thinking the best friends would soon need time alone to hash out their own issues regarding kept secrets and California plans, Sasuke swallowed down the rest of the booze and figured the blond was simply stalling.

Naruto took Sasuke's glass from him. "What's the time table for tomorrow?" He set the glasses down and leaned back against the table.

Sasuke tugged at his tie. "Konan will meet us at the hotel at before noon and Kakashi set up the meeting with your friends at the docks for three." He slid his tie off and stepped closer to Naruto. "Kakashi and I can handle the meetings if you'd rather not -"

"I'm going."

Sasuke nodded. "Do they know?"

Naruto lifted himself from the table and turned around to pour another drink. His hand froze as he stared at the now empty bottle.

"Yeah," he said, using a lighter tone. Naruto didn't look up but instead went to the liquor cabinet for another bottle. "I mean we didn't really, you know... but they knew and yeah, it was fine -they were uh, fine with you know…"

Sasuke watched him pour them both another glass. "Naruto."

"It's fine, Sasuke." Naruto finally looked up and held out the booze. "Here."

"I only need to meet with Shikamaru. He speaks for the rest of them so there's no need -"

"It's fine." Naruto again raised the whiskey at Sasuke who took it but didn't drink. Naruto watched him stare down into the crystal, swirling it thoughtfully. "I can handle myself. You don't have to worry about me," Naruto said.

Sasuke lifted his eyes. "I know you can," he said and brought the drink to his lips.

"Then what's the problem?" Naruto tried to hold back his irritation but it slipped out anyway. He cringed knowing his anxiety wasn't Sasuke's fault. The crime boss was only doing what he could to better their odds against Madara.

Sasuke paused. "When I insisted on meeting with your contact, it didn't occur to me…" his voice trailed off and he shot back his drink, grimacing slightly from the burn. He set down his glass and moved closer to Naruto. "I've placed you in a difficult position."

Naruto was still holding his drink when Sasuke stepped up to him. He felt his heart pang at Sasuke's words. The Uchiha was concerned for him. The man who had once offered him up like bait to the Hyuga was now worried about the predicament he might have placed him in.

"You uh…" Naruto swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. "You didn't, heh, the uh, guys are alright with…" he stared at Sasuke, mouth open in mid sentence and quickly looked at the glass in his hand and downed it trying to stall.

"Okay, but are _you_ alright with me meeting them?" Sasuke took the glass from Naruto and set it down. He then looked to his lover and reached out, taking hold of his waist and tugging him in. Now face to face, Naruto lifted his arms to Sasuke's shoulders and wrapped them around his lover's neck. They breathed each other in, softly nudging their faces, teasing, tempting the other to make the first move.

"It's fine," Naruto said softly. "It's just… I don't know. I've never had to explain myself to anyone before." Naruto brushed his lips against Sasuke's. "The guys… Gaara… they're the only family I've got. We've been through a lot together, ya know?"

"Mmmm…" Sasuke let out a hum and circled his arms around Naruto's waist, pressing his face into the crook of his neck. He breathed in his lover's scent and felt Naruto's body respond by slightly arching into him. Sasuke closed his eyes at low moan the came from Naruto. "They're not the only family you have anymore," he said and hitched in his breath, immediately regretting his words.

Naruto froze and pulled back. He dropped his hands to Sasuke's chest and pushed back and out of his arms.

"Naruto."

"I'm not interested in some fantasy, Sasuke. Gaara, Shika, Kiba and the guys, they're my family and they're the only family I've needed. I can count on them. Depend on them. I'm not a fucking child who believes in Santa Claus or the fucking tooth fairy and I'm not little fuckin orphan Annie pining away on pipe dreams and make believe!" Naruto could feel the anger rushing through him. He blinked, trying to keep his focus on Sasuke as the alcohol finally took hold adding a haze to the room, but Sasuke only stared back at him. Unsure of his emotions, Naruto stormed past and into the study. He looked at the door leading out to the fourth floor landing and clenched his fists.

 _Fuck!_ He didn't want to leave but he also didn't want to face any more questions about the strangers waiting for him in Japan.

Naruto turned and went to the veranda.

Those strangers didn't know him. They didn't jump the flattie on Delancey Street, saving Naruto from getting collared. They didn't divvy up their scraps of food so Gaara and Naruto could eat when their meals were nothing more than a few slices of bread and a couple of stolen eggs for an entire week's meal.

Naruto pulled out his smokes and then patted his pants and shirt for some matches when Sasuke came up next to him with his hand out.

Naruto looked at the matches he was holding. "Thanks," he mumbled but didn't raise his eyes. He lit his smoke and then handed the pack and matches to Sasuke, still avoiding eye contact.

Sasuke lit his own cigarette and sat down across from his troubled lover. He tapped the pack of smokes thoughtfully against the table wondering how to best approach the situation. He didn't want to escalate things to the point where it would ruin the short time they had left together but he also knew better than to ignore Naruto's sudden tension. The last time one of them tried to bury their emotions inside a bottle of booze, it had ended badly and Sasuke had no intention of allowing their final days to be tainted by arguments and guilt.

"Naruto, I -"

"I know my choice is still bothering you." Naruto looked at Sasuke and took a hard pull from his smoke, blowing it out in a rush of air. "I know you don't understand why I would choose California over travelling to Japan to meet two people who claim to be my parents but you have to try, Sasuke." Naruto stayed standing and looked back at Sasuke casually smoking his cigarette. "I've made my choice."

Sasuke ashed his smoke. "Have you spoken to Gaara?"

"Why would that matter? He and I made the decision to leave for California before we joined up with you. He knows I would never leave him in the lurch."

"Yes, but have you talked to him since the meeting? About whether or not he wants to journey to Japan with the rest of us? Have you told him about your parents?" Sasuke leaned forward.

"They're not my parents."

"Naruto."

"What if Itachi is wrong? Have you considered the possibility that your precious brother could be wrong?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his lover. He knew Naruto's temper was getting the best of him and if they weren't careful it was bound to get the best of them both. "As much as I would love to call my brother out on an error, I don't believe he's wrong in this case and I don't think you believe he's wrong either." Sasuke took another tug from his cigarette and watched the conflicting emotions play across Naruto's face. "And what if Gaara wants to go to Japan?"

"We already decided on California. Nothing's changed." Naruto shot a glare at Sasuke and then walked back into the study.

Frustration filled Sasuke. He knew Naruto wouldn't leave the floor but he didn't feel like chasing him from one room to another all night. There wasn't time for a fight. He could feel doubt and denial hiding in Naruto's words and he wasn't willing to let it go. At least not until he found out why Naruto was so insistent on not believing his parents were alive and looking for him. He let out another long stream of cigarette smoke and stood up up to go after the damn blond, when Naruto walked back onto the veranda with the bottle and glasses they had left in the receiving room.

"I uh, thought we could use another drink." Naruto quickly looked away from Sasuke's skillful eyes and poured the alcohol. "I know I could use another drink," he said and set a whiskey filled glass in front of Sasuke, who kept his eyes on Naruto and slowly retook his seat.

"Why don't you want to tell Gaara about your parents?"

Naruto's hand stilled over his glass, then picked it up and raised his eyes. "There's no real proof, Sasuke. The file, Itachi's secret contact and some man he met in Japan? I'm supposed to bring this information to Gaara for what?"

They both sipped their drinks, eyes locked.

After a swallow, Sasuke took another drag from his smoke. "So you think there's no reason for Gaara to know."

"I think telling him and then having him think I'd rather go to Japan than California…" Naruto stared down into the booze in his hand and then took another drink.

"You don't want him to think you're giving up your chance to find your parents by going with him to the west coast."

"I'm not giving up anything." Naruto lifted his gaze and Sasuke couldn't tell if the shine in Naruto's eyes was due to the alcohol or -

"If I tell him, he's gonna say I should go to Japan and find out the truth."

"Because he wouldn't want you losing out on your chance -"

"I'm not losing out on anything," Naruto cut in. "Look, maybe Itachi… maybe he isn't wrong but that doesn't mean I've changed my mind." Naruto took another drink and dropped himself into a chair. "I know it's difficult to understand how I feel but there's nothing waiting for me in Japan. Gaara is the only family I need and I won't trade him for some hypothetical parents in a country I don't even remember."

Sasuke watched Naruto for a moment, chewing slow on the blond's choice of words, then crushed out his cigarette. "Naruto, I respect your decision but I'm having a hard time understanding it." He finished off his glass and leaned back into this chair. "I know you have your reasons for not wanting to fill Gaara in on all the details." Sasuke motioned to the alcohol and Naruto passed it over to him. "Word of advice?" Sasuke looked up and raised his brows. "Should he find out about your parents -"

"I told you, I don-"

"Fine, your hypothetical parents," Sasuke added and topped off his glass. "I doubt your redheaded friend will be happy you kept it from him."

"Tch, so now you know Gaara better than I do?" Naruto rolled his eyes and reached for the bottle.

"I can read him just like any other man."

Naruto lifted a brow at his lover and smirked.

"You know what I meant," Sasuke said with a huff and Naruto couldn't help but chuckle. "You've made it clear that he's your family. Would you be happy if he kept such a thing from you?"

"I hear what you're saying," Naruto said and took a drink. "And I'll face my choice if it comes to that."

Sasuke stared at him and then reached for his glass, sipping it slow. The summer evening was cool around them as they sat on the veranda drinking and smoking in silence. Somewhere in the distance a mockingbird called out and Sasuke looked up, noticing the full moon overhead. Taking his drink with him, he stood up and turned to stare out at the harbor. Though the day had been unbearably hot, the night brought a cool breeze and he closed his eyes as the wind circled its way through the porch and gently played in his hair. In a week's time, everything at Pierrepont would be in government hands and he and Itachi would be on their way to San Francisco, leaving Brooklyn and Naruto behind. Out on the sea, time was eternal. The ebb and flow bowed to no human and Sasuke wondered why it had taken him so long to understand that time was beyond his control. He could bend most any man to his will but slowing time, holding back its constant tidal flow was as fruitless as trying to dam the vast rage of the oceans.

What would life would be like in Japan? Unlike his brother he had no recollection of life there. New York, Brooklyn; this was his home. Sasuke stared down into the gold colored whiskey and felt a strange emotion well up inside him.

"You're thinking too loud, Uchiha," Naruto said from behind. Sasuke felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his waist and the thoughts he had been trying to decipher floated away.

"Hn." Sasuke set down his glass and threaded his fingers with Naruto's. "I was thinking how strange it will be living somewhere other than Brooklyn. When I bought Pierrepont, I did so with the belief I would live out the rest of my days here."

Naruto tightened his grip and nudged his face into the warmth of Sasuke's neck. "You'll be safe in Japan and out of reach from the feds." He planted kisses along the ivory slope of Sasuke's neck, sucking and biting soft at the flesh. "You told me once, if you were to lose it all tomorrow, you'd make the most out of living in a box under the Brooklyn Bridge." Naruto smirked against his skin and felt a soft rumble of laughter vibrate against his lips.

"I don't recall that conversation at all," Sasuke said flatly, trying to add a hard tone to his voice.

One of Naruto's hands slid lower, palming the growing hardness in Sasuke's slacks. "Maybe I can help jog your memory," he murmured low and then bit into the cords along Sasuke's neck, pinching the skin between his teeth.

"Sssss, Naruto…" Sasuke leaned his head back and reached behind him, taking hold of Naruto ass and pulling him closer. He could feel Naruto already working on his belt and pants and as soon as he had them open, Naruto shoved a hand in and wrapped it around Sasuke's already aching erection.

Sasuke dug his fingers into Naruto's ass and groaned.

"God, you're so hard," Naruto breathed into his ear. "I have plans for you tonight, Sasuke." His hand picked up pace and Sasuke grunted as he flexed his hips into Naruto's grip. "This time it's my turn to make _you_ scream." He felt Sasuke shudder and he let go of his dick and brought his precum soaked fingers up to Sasuke's open mouth and pushed two in. Immediately Sasuke's tongue lapped at the taste as he closed his mouth around them and sucked causing Naruto moan with pleasure.

Forgotten was their earlier squabble along with tomorrow's worry. Once again both men felt the irresistible pull of one another, the need to be consumed, to lose themselves in their passion and drown in the heady bliss of their desires. Naruto pulled his hand away and Sasuke turned around, grabbing Naruto's face crushing their mouths together. The heat of their kiss ignited in an instant. They both licked the whiskey from each other's mouth, sucking the at the flavor, humming and panting; every pent up need from their long day breaking through like unquenchable hellfire.

Naruto buried his hands in Sasuke's midnight hair and yanked his head back right before sinking his teeth into the exposed skin at the base of his throat.

"Ungh shit," Sasuke panted and brought his hands to Naruto's chest, pushing him back hard and stepping out of his reach. A dark grin lifted at the corners of his mouth as he began walking into the study. He looked back at his out of breath lover and a gleam reached his eyes. "Let's find out who can make who scream first, hm?"

Sasuke disappeared and Naruto licked his lips, tugging on his tie and yanking it off as he followed Sasuke, spellbound and rock hard into the Uchiha's bedroom.

It had been the cool of the evening that drew Gaara to the backyard porch. When he returned from the club tired and worn out from the long day and from the never ending questions banging around his head about just what the hell else Naruto was keeping from him, Gaara headed straight for the kitchen. Yamato always seemed to leave leftovers for anyone looking for a late night snack and Gaara hoped to find something to fill his anxiety ridden stomach and help ease the ache in his head.

He knew Sakura would be waiting up for him but with so much crowding his thoughts, he didn't want to face her yet. Making quick work of preparing a roast chicken sandwich, Gaara brought his meal out to the porch to take advantage of the rare dip in the weather. He was two bites into his sandwich when a familiar voice floated down from the fourth floor veranda.

" _I know my choice is still bothering you. I know you don't understand why I would choose California over travelling to Japan to meet two people who claim to be my parents but you have to try, Sasuke. I've made my choice."_

Gaara froze in his chair even though the loud pounding of his heart made him want to get up and find somewhere -anywhere else to be at that moment.

 _Naruto found his parents?_ Gaara's mind scrambled. _Why didn't Naruto say something? Just what the fuck was he thinking not wanting to see his parents?_ With every word that fell from the balcony above, Gaara's mind worked to keep up, latching onto to sentence after sentence while question after question clogged his mind, each battling for an answer as to why his best friend had kept this from him and why he was choosing to walk away from his once in a lifetime chance?

Gaara heard the conversation go quiet and a then a low murmur. Thinking the two men had found a new topic of conversation, Gaara grabbed his plate and headed back into the kitchen. He tossed the remains of his sandwich into the trash bin and his dish into the sink.

He needed to leave. Go for a drive or a walk, do something that would clear his head. Without a direction in mind, Gaara walked out of the kitchen to the main entrance of Pierrepont and out onto the front steps. He looked to the darkened streets and alleyways and was struck by how they no longer felt welcoming.

Everything had changed and the one person he had always been able to rely on and turn to when things felt uncertain was now a million miles away, lost in a reckless romance with a crime boss and no longer confiding in him.

The day he had been dreading was finally here. It was time for the two of them to stop running side by side, and though he had known this day would come eventually, he never dreamed _he_ would end up being the one to have to set it motion.

Gaara let out a weary sigh, turned down the sidewalk and walked toward the distant street lamps that lit the far off dour roads of the Brooklyn borough. The bridge was visible through the dark, lit with lamps that flickered in and out like mocking stars begging for a wasted wish. Gaara pulled up the collar on his coat and headed toward them.

* * *

Still no where near being spent after Sasuke shoved him against the headboard and drove into him for over an hour and making him cum twice, Naruto turned the tables on the feisty Uchiha and gained the upperhand, pinning him to the bed face first and ass deliciously exposed. There was nothing more satisfying than getting Sasuke to relent and once Naruto had him restrained with arms behind his back, Sasuke acquiesced. A subtle compliance once Naruto released his wrists.

Ten minutes later Sasuke was riding him, dripping in sweat and looking down with those scorched fire-lit eyes, rolling his hips over and over, driving Naruto's cock deeper into himself. Sasuke's muscles flexed and spasmed with each thrust. The ruthless mob boss threw back his head while his sleek body kept its grinding pace and all Naruto could do was stare in breathless awe at the sight of Sasuke's fierce passion cascading around them both.

"God, Sasuke, you're so fucking sexy it makes me -" Not able to hold back, Naruto took hold of his hips, slick and glistened with sweat and began yanking him down as Naruto thrust up harder, angling for the sweet spot that would help his lover reach his climax.

Sasuke leaned back and planted his hands on Naruto's knees. "Ungh, right there, yesss…" Sasuke grunted out and Naruto moved one of his hands to jerk him off, hoping he would cum before Naruto lost his control and beat him to it.

"Cum for me, Sasuke," Naruto said out of breath with his eyes glued to the man now riding him with abandon. "God, I wanna watch you cum."

Sasuke lifted his head and stared down at Naruto, making his heart flutter. Lowering himself, Sasuke flattened his hands onto Naruto's chest and kissed him deep and hard.

With their sweat slicked bodies sliding at a manic pace, Naruto reached around Sasuke's hips and sank his fingers into the flesh of his lover's ass, gripping him hard as he pounded his cock up into him, feverishly working in time with the grunts and breath-filled pleadings falling from Sasuke's lips.

"Right there. Fuck yes -harder, Naruto, fuck me."

Every filthy request Sasuke groaned into Naruto's mouth only made him more delirious in his need to make Sasuke cum; to break that goddamn Uchiha demeanor that had him holding back shouts and cries of pleasure. Naruto didn't just want to make Sasuke scream, he wanted to make him unravel, to lose his mind and completely let go. Naruto was desperate for it.

Here and now was where Sasuke was his. Behind closed doors the two men belonged to no one else but each other. Here was where Sasuke's damn Uchiha reserve was cast aside for Naruto's eyes only; no stoicism, no hardened stares meant to keep his crew in line and his rivals fearful. Just Sasuke in unabashed ecstasy, open to Naruto and Naruto only; every beautiful facet of the dark haired mobster, his for the taking.

With their lust and sex reaching fever-pitch, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hands and pinned them behind his back. The mobster let out a shocked grunt and fell forward on top of Naruto but before his mind could focus on what was happening, Naruto worked to hold both his wrists in one hand while his other reached up and closed around Sasuke's throat.

Holding him up and tightening his hold of Sasuke's the neck while his other hand gripped his wrists and pulled him harshly back, Naruto used what strength he had left to drive his cock up as hard as he could into Sasuke. He drank in every expression on his lover's face and watched intently as Sasuke's eyes rolled back and a pleading look of need slackened his normally stoic features.

Naruto loosened his hand around his lover's throat. "Tell me, Sasuke."

"Don't stop! Oh god, Naruto, fuck me harder!"

"Fuck, Sasuke, oh my god," Naruto growled and squeezed harder, almost cutting off his airway altogether. "Fucking cum for me!"

For a few seconds Sasuke's hips flexed into Naruto's thrusts then became erratic and his whole body spasmed and strained against his lover's hold. His dick untouched, spilled his seed onto Naruto's chest and Naruto held his grip, lowering him just enough to watch entranced as Sasuke's climax rocked through him. With mouth open, gasping -mewling incoherent words, Sasuke's dilated eyes went wide and welled with tears as the force of his orgasm rolled on and on.

Naruto continued to fuck him even as Sasuke half-sobbed through his never-ending climax.

"Naruto! Ungh god fuck!"

Not able to withstand the fluttered clenches around his dick or the beautiful sight of Sasuke in total thrall, Naruto finally came shouting Sasuke's name as he filled him with his cum. His vision darkened and he let go of his hold and Sasuke crashed into him boneless and exhausted.

The heat from their bodies rose like steam and Naruto lifted his arms and gripped Sasuke's waist as he lay on top of him, too spent to move but not ready to let the man go.

Sasuke lifted his head, brought his eyes up and stared at Naruto lying under him with matched fucked blown eyes and panting. Finding a little strength, Sasuke tried to slide off to give him some relief from his weight but Naruto gripped him tighter as he stared back at him, eyes fierce and dark.

Still shaky, Sasuke leaned in to kiss him. Naruto met his mouth with lazy, slow kisses, feeding on each of his lips before delving his tongue into his mouth, coaxing out soft moans. Weak, clumsy hands sought out the other's skin; both caressing arms and shoulders and hips, slow but eager for touch; a deep need to hold the connection. Sasuke cupped Naruto's face and Naruto coursed his fingers through Sasuke's sweat-drenched locks as they poured their emotions into their achingly slow kiss.

"Naruto," Sasuke whispered.

"I'm here. I'm…" Naruto squeezed his eyes shut.

Again, "Naruto," was all Sasuke could say, planting kisses across his lover's face and down his neck, trying to stall, to freeze time and hold the moment forever.

"Sasuke." Naruto's voice cracked and he arched his head back as Sasuke sucked stinging bruises into his skin. He blinked back the wetness that threatened to fall from his eyes held Sasuke tighter, trying to memorize his scent, his touch; the way he looked at the moment of release and did his best not to curse the day the beautiful Uchiha crashed into his life.

A moment later, Sasuke slid off and edged away, hissing at the sudden feel of emptiness as Naruto slipped out of him. "We should shower," he said and Naruto scanned the Uchiha's face.

"A long hot bath?" Naruto suggested and Sasuke hummed in agreement.

Running his hand across Naruto's chest, Sasuke pulled away to roll over and out of bed but Naruto reached for him and dragged him back, tugging him in close.

"You were amazing," Naruto said holding Sasuke tight against him.

Sasuke smirked. "You weren't so bad, yourself."

A soft chuckle left the blond and Sasuke again turned to head to the washroom. Naruto watched him get out of bed and grimace as he stood up to stretch. "A very long hot bath," Naruto said with a grin and Sasuke shot him a playful glare before making his way across the room.

Naruto's smile faltered as he got up to follow him. One week. God knows how many days or _nights_ the two of them had left together. Next week would be an endless routine of prepping, secret meetings and dark dealings as they lined their ducks in a row for the upcoming showdown with Madara. Naruto followed Sasuke into the shower and his mind drifted to the meeting with the guys and then settled on Gaara. _Tomorrow,_ he thought. _Tomorrow I'll talk to him after we meet with Shika._

"Naruto?"

Looking up, Naruto saw Sasuke watching him. "Hm?"

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah," he said with a smile. "Just a bit tired from the workout you gave me." He climbed into the tub and pressed up against Sasuke. "Not sure I got enough gas left for another go 'round."

Sasuke smirked. "We'll see about that," he said and kissed him while his hands slid down Naruto's back to take hold of his ass and grab hold.

"Mmm," Naruto hummed and let his worries drift away as his lover moved him back against the shower wall, taking him once more into oblivion where there were no more meetings, no more secrets and where only the two of them, locked together in the here and now, mattered.

 _To be continued._

* * *

A/N: Well, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm starting a new job in a week so I don't know when the next chapter will be done BUT I do know I will work on it every chance I get. Thank you for sticking with me, Dear Reader and I hope you're ready for the final showdown. Blessings to you all. Love, Tandy.


	22. Chapter 22: Bound to you - Part 1

**Warning** : Meh, let's not and say I did.

 **Author's note** : I dedicate this chapter to Chester. Had it not been for him, I probably wouldn't have made it this far. Writing fanfiction might not seem to most like a great accomplishment to you but to _me,_ it is. Thank you for the music, Chester. And thank you for giving my pain a voice when I needed it the most. I love and miss you hard.

 **Disclaimer** **:** Kishi owns the show and Tandy gets no dough.

* * *

 _A soft chuckle left the blond and Sasuke again turned to head to the washroom. Naruto watched him get out of bed and grimace as he stood up to stretch. "A very long hot bath," Naruto said with a grin and Sasuke shot him a playful glare before making his way across the room._

 _Naruto's smile faltered as he got up to follow him. One week. God knows how many days or nights the two of them had left together. Next week would be an endless routine of prepping, secret meetings and dark dealings as they lined their ducks in a row for the upcoming showdown with Madara. Naruto followed Sasuke into the shower and his mind drifted to the meeting with the guys and then settled on Gaara. Tomorrow, he thought. Tomorrow I'll talk to him after we meet with Shika._

" _Naruto?"_

 _Looking up, Naruto saw Sasuke watching him. "Hm?"_

" _Everything alright?"_

" _Yeah," he said with a smile. "Just a bit tired from the workout you gave me." He climbed into the tub and pressed up against Sasuke. "Not sure I got enough gas left for another go 'round."_

 _Sasuke smirked. "We'll see about that," he said and kissed him while his hands slid down Naruto's back to take hold of his ass and grab hold._

" _Mmm," Naruto hummed and let his worries drift away as his lover moved him back against the shower wall, taking him once more into oblivion where there were no more meetings, no more secrets and where only the two of them, locked together in the here and now, mattered._

 **Chapter 22:** Bound to you - Part 1

"Shit, Shika, you sure about this?" Kiba watched as the large man with bright red-orange hair moved from one area of their dock hideout to the other inspecting every gap, nook and shaky stack of rotted boat hulls with a careful eye.

"If Naru says it's on the level, it's on the level," Shikamaru said.

Just as the visitors showed up, Shino left their hideout to get info on just how many men Sasuke brought with him. Choji and Kiba stayed and now flanked Shika.

"It's alright," Shikamaru said to them and they reluctantly took their seats on nearby crates, looking anxiously at their gang leader, then at the large redhead.

Shika stood by and watched the one called Juugo make his inspection. Above them, the seagulls cried out that the afternoon was nearing its end and dusk would soon be approaching. Shikamaru gave the gulls a short lived, squinty-eyed glare. Though little tension plagued the street gangs hideout, wide eyes followed the Uchiha's strong-man everywhere he went. Shika however remained standing, taking in every detail he could.

Kakashi had shown up two days prior to let him know Naruto would be swinging by and bringing company. Kakashi had been so vague as to why Sasuke would be visiting, that Shika now stood like a sentry at the wall, scanning for anything and everything.

If Shika had any questions about the sudden visit, he didn't voice them to the guys or Kakashi. Left to his own conclusions, he could only stand and wait for the man of the hour to show himself.

Shino stepped into the clearing.

"Just the three of 'em. Billy down on the corner verified and I threw him an extra two bits to stay on alert," Shino said.

Shika nodded, looked up again at the clouds overhead and sighed. The blistering temperature had barely dropped a single degree and now as dusk neared the only saving grace from the horrid heat were threads of thin, high clouds that brought the slightest hint of shade. Shika stuffed his hands into the pockets of his grungy cords and looked over at the sound of footsteps approaching.

Uchiha Sasuke stepped into the clearing with Naruto a few steps behind him. Feeling somewhat comforted by the sight of his friend, Shika took his hands from his pockets and went to greet the notorious gangster.

Sasuke did his best not to scrunch his face when the stench of the docks hit him. These were Naruto's friends. Any outward reaction that might make them, or worse, Naruto think that he didn't approve of his friend's turf, would no doubt end up being being a poor way to begin negotiations.

Once inside the scattered maritime remains, Sasuke glanced around noting that if Naruto's friends wished to take him out, they definitely had the upper hand. Gargantuan-sized anchor ropes and chains littered their surrounding hideout and at the center of the rotted out hulls, was a small makeshift fire pit, burnt out and waiting patiently for the evening. Around the pit were wood crates and boxes casually propping up the young men from Naruto's childhood. Men he somehow had to convince to join his cause, while at the same time remembering each one was fully aware of his relationship with the blond.

A strange nervousness fluttered inside his chest and Sasuke cursed himself for letting his emotions get the best of him. He glanced to his left, wondering if Naruto would see to the introductions or whether the whole event had proven too much for the blond, and the gangster would have to have to take matters into his own hands.

"Hey Shika," Naruto said, moving closer to the one with a wild dark haired ponytail bunched atop his head. "This is Sasuke, uh, Uchiha Sasuke."

Shikamaru locked eyes on the Uchiha directly behind him. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Uchiha Sasuke." Walking forward, Sasuke held out his hand to the gang leader. " _Yorokobi wa watashi no mono desu_ _."_

Shika smirked. " _Dōyō ni,"_ he answered and stepped up to meet the Uchiha's dark eyes. " _Watashitachi no ie e yōkoso_ _."_

Pleased, Sasuke took his hand and noted the firm handshake.

"I was sorry to hear about your parents," Shika said and Sasuke blinked at him having been caught completely unawares. "I thought the hitmen were gunning for you -it never occurred to me -"

"It didn't occur to any of us. For all we know, maybe they hadn't been able to get to me thanks to your tip off and went after my parents instead."

The look in Shikamaru's eyes said he doubted that had been the case, but the small nod he gave the Uchiha gangster made it clear to Naruto, that his friend appreciated the sentiment all the same.

Shikamaru motioned to the empty crate across from him, and Sasuke went to it, paying no mind to what the old dank wood would do to his $200 suit, and sat down. Already feeling the heat of the sun above them, he removed the oversized dingy brown overcoat meant as a disguise and revealed his pristine, pressed white shirt and pinstriped vest underneath. He handed the coat to Juugo, loosened his tie, and pulled his cigarettes from his vest pocket. After removing one for himself, Sasuke held the pack up to the crew leader. At the flick of Shikamaru's brows, he tossed him the cigs

"Thanks," Shika said. Careful not to shoot a look to Naru, he shook himself out a smoke before he offered the pack back, but the gangster motioned with his lit cigarette to pass it on.

As the cigarette pack made its way around the rest of the guys, Naruto took a seat near Shika and lit a smoke, inhaling deep and slower than usual.

"Where's red?"

Naruto and the guys whipped their heads around to Shikamaru.

"He's at the club keeping an eye on things," Naruto answered.

"Well then," Shika said after tugging on his cig. "I guess we should get down to it."

Sasuke leaned forward. "The information you gave Naruto regarding the opium dens and Obito was immensely helpful. Thank you," he said, holding to his hard stolid demeanor. "Without your help I might still be in the dark about my Uncle's plans."

Shika threw a look at Naruto, then back to Sasuke.

"Naruto filled me in on his last his visit, so I see no reason to play coy," Sasuke said. "You know what's coming."

"Naruto said he needed help. I helped. As for what's coming, I'd say an all out clan war was coming our way."

"And if I told you a clan war wasn't the worst of it?"

Shika frowned. "Naru?"

Naruto slid his eyes to Sasuke, but the mobster nodded for the blond to go head and take the lead.

"It looks like we're all neck deep in shit." Naruto said. He took a pull from his smoke and looked from Shikamaru to the guys. "The Feds got their hooks in all the clans. It's only a matter of time before they launch their sting operation and arrest every last one of us."

"Holy shit!"

"Kiba, goddammit, pipe down." Shika called out, not taking his eyes from Naruto. "You sure?" he asked him.

"Yeah. Positive." Naruto ran a hand through his hair. "And it looks like we, uh…" he turned again to Sasuke. "We've also uncovered another nasty piece of info about…"

"It seems my uncle has been linked to several murders involving young Japanese children," Sasuke finished.

"Uchiha Madara's the one who's been killing all those little girls?" Shika asked.

Sasuke blew out his smoke. "You've known," he said.

Shika stared back at him. He took a puff off his cig then dropped it, crushing it under his bootheel. "If Naruto's told you everything, then you know I pay attention to whatever comes down the line in the boroughs. You're not the only one who pays a fair amount of coin for underground chin music."

Sasuke didn't rise to the bait but he filed the comment away for later nonetheless.

"How long have you known?" Naruto asked and did a double-take at the sight of Sasuke motioning to Juugo right before the large man turned and went to a large wicker basket no one had noticed being brought in.

The guys and Shika watched him begin to unload it. "I, uh-" Shikamaru started and then brought his attention back to Naruto. "I was asked by several of the working kids to let them know if I heard anything."

"How so?" Sasuke chimed in just as Juugo returned carrying a bottle of whiskey and several drinking glasses atop a dark wooden tray.

The guys gaped at the sight of the Uchiha clan boss expertly pouring each of them a glass before taking one for himself and signaling for Juugo to distribute the rest. Kiba's eyes almost popped out of his head and damn if he and Choji didn't lick their lips as the tray slowly made its way around.

"Thank you." Shika lifted his glass to Sasuke and the Uchiha raised his back then and toasted to the rest of men.

"Again, the pleasure is mine," Sasuke said.

One by one they all lifted theirs back, except Kiba, who very carefully spit the small sip he'd already taken back into his glass and then awkwardly raised it up, sporting a sheepish grin.

"Some of the brothel kids," Shika resumed after a quick sip, "wanted to know if their friends made it out and got away." He looked down at the glass in his hand. "Smooth," he said to Sasuke who nodded back. "Anyway, I told them I'd let 'em know if I heard anything. Then the bodies started showing up."

Sasuke moved his gaze over each of the men and saw them cast down their eyes and still their glasses.

"The papers didn't cover the deaths of the Japanese girls," Shikamaru said. "But here in the boroughs, we knew."

Shika paused and then went on. "I never had the heart to tell 'em what I heard. Maybe they found out on their own, maybe they didn't but I never took a dime from any of 'em. At first, it was 'bout helping 'em find their friends but once the bodies started turning up…" Shika downed the last of the booze in his glass and set it on his knee. "I kept my ear to the ground for my own reasons after that."

Juugo made quick work of refilling the glasses and Shikamaru lit another smoke. "But you didn't come to the docks to tell me about your uncle."

For a moment Naruto was reminded of when Sasuke asked him and Gaara to become clan. The way the two had postured trying to decipher the other's intent in regards to Naruto. But here there was no power struggle. Both Sasuke and Shika seemed to read the other for what he was, someone who didn't care to waste his time on games. Either one would listen to the other or he wouldn't.

"No, I didn't." Sasuke sipped his drink. "Naruto speaks highly of you and your ability to track information."

"What kind of information are you looking for?

Sasuke rested his glass on his knee. "On Friday night I'll be reopening the club. I can't risk letting any of my crew leave to monitor the boroughs for every newsflash and rumor that will be spreading like wildfire that night."

"That's when you're making your move on Madara." Shika said.

"Yes," Sasuke answered. "If you agree, you won't need to be at the club and you have my personal guarantee that you'll be kept far away from the danger. No one outside my crew will know of you and your men's involvement and I vouch for each one of them."

Shikamaru glanced over at the large redhead who was busy pulling another bottle from the basket.

"If you agree you can name your price," Sasuke said, not missing the gang leader's curious look.

The guys stared at the Uchiha, then at Shika. Naruto crushed out his cig and immediately pulled out another and lit it.

"How will I relay the information to you without tipping anyone off? All eyes will be on the club and all ears on the operator lines. Took me three hours just to find a telephone I was sure didn't have someone on clan payroll connecting the lines when I called Naru to warn him about the hitmen."

Satisfaction lit Sasuke's eyes.

Inside him, a small sense of pride had begun to rise in Naruto at the pleased look he saw in Sasuke's eyes, but was immediately shoved aside as soon as Naruto remembered the danger he just dropped at the feet of his closest friends. His _family._ Naruto's eyes twitched at the word and he quickly tugged on his smoke for distraction.

"For what I have in mind, Naruto's assured me you'd be clever enough to make it work," Sasuke said.

"And after?"

"By after, you mean -"

"Once Madara's taken out and the Feds have made good on their promise to raid the clans, what then?" Shika's eyes examined the ember-red tip of his ciggy. He then pulled a long drag off it and blew it out. "Either you're going down with the rest of 'em or you've already made plans for a clean getaway."

"Why should that matter?" Sasuke asked without curiosity.

"Because sooner or later, even if no one here talks, someone else will." Shika took another sip of the whiskey. "How do you think I get my information? A newsie. An overzealous dick. Someone will put the pieces together and if they can't -they'll spread a false rumor just to see who bites. Without protection, me and my men will be marked. If the Feds really are in on it, chances are they know you're here now."

"Doubtful," Sasuke answered.

A smirk lifted at the corner of Shika's mouth. "You got a guy on the inside. Wow, Naru," he said and turned to his friend. "I knew the Uchiha was good, but not this good."

"Once the final phase of the plan is done, Sasuke will be closing down The Tokyo Palace and leaving Pierrepont for good," Naruto said. "And New York."

Shika turned back to Sasuke. "To go where?"

Naruto glanced at Sasuke to confirm it was alright to share his plans for Japan but the Uchiha held up his hand.

"I, along with most of my crew will head to California," Sasuke answered.

To his credit, Shika didn't react to the news but the rest of the guys snapped their heads up and darted their eyes back and forth from the gangster to Naruto. The blond lowered his head as he continued to smoke his cigarette, hoping the booze had colored his cheeks enough to mask the heat he now felt spreading across them.

"From there," Sasuke continued. "I will board a ship and return to my clan's homeland in Japan."

"You and him are moving to Japan together!" Kiba blurted out at Naruto.

"Kiba!" Choji yelled and next to him Shino shook his head in disbelief.

"Keebs, if you don't stuff a cork in it -" Shikamaru warned.

"It's alright," Naruto said quietly and ran a hand through his hair.

"It's not my place to say what Naruto's plans are but no," Sasuke said, "he will not traveling to Japan with the rest of us," Sasuke said.

Shikamaru snuffed out his smoke and placed the glass at his feet. "You're taking your crew with you?"

"Those that agree to join me and remain clan."

Naruto could see Shika's mind working. Watching him put two and two together was no less nerve-wracking than facing down Gaara's analytical stare. Thank god it wasn't their only similarity. Just like Gaara, Shika would either wait for a better time to question why Naruto wasn't going with Sasuke or he'd say nothing at all. Remembering this, Naruto eased his posture and took a deep drink.

"The clans will be taken down, the boroughs are now under the watchful eye of the Feds and -" Shika looked over at Naruto. "What about Konan?"

Sasuke and Naruto's earlier appointment with the Akatsuki leader had gone well… right up until Sasuke offered Naruto's ex-girlfriend a one-way ticket to freedom. Something his lover had failed to mention he would be doing, leaving Naruto dumbfounded while the two of them sat across from the purple haired woman. So sure enough, when he turned to Sasuke, the gangster's eyes were already on him. The Uchiha was holding back.

Naruto had given Sasuke the cold shoulder during the car ride from their meeting with Konan at the hotel all the way to the docks to meet with Shika. He knew Sasuke wouldn't make the same mistake twice, so if Naruto wanted to fill Shika in on Konan's choice, he'd have to do it himself.

"She knows about the Feds but has made up her mind to stay in Brooklyn and make it work," Naruto said.

Shikamaru paused and then spoke slowly. "You offered her the choice to join you in Japan," Shika said.

"Yes," Sasuke answered.

"Can I ask why?"

Sasuke was onto where Shikamaru was headed. Of course he was frustrated at the slow pace of it all but he knew throwing out the same offer to Naruto's old gang members would only serve to fully seal Naruto's suspicions over why Sasuke had made Konan the offer in the first place. He wasn't intentionally setting out to bring all of the former street hood's companions with him to Japan; it was just logical. There would be nothing but upheaval in the boroughs once the Feds stepped in. Not to mention, bringing along his crew would be helpful in reclaiming their homeland. Those who remained loyal to Sasuke and his brother deserved the same escape route. _Those who managed to survive that is_.

"What's on your mind, Shika," Naruto asked.

"Sorry, Naru." Shika was stalling and he knew it. "I just wanted to know what angle he was playing at."

"I'm not -"

This time Naruto held his hand up at Sasuke. "He's not playing any angles. You have my word."

"Then why make the offer to Konan and leave me and the guys behind holding the bag?" Shika asked. "You said yourself, the Feds are taking out the clans. The _Japanese_ clans. How long before they start sniffing around here? I do my best to keep outta the papers but it's no secret to anyone in the racket who I am and what I do."

"You wanna leave New York? Shika, I didn't intend to leave without doing what I could to keep you and the guys safe, and if you n'the guys wanna leave New York, I'll get you out."

"I'll cover the cost of your relocation," Sasuke added.

"You n'the guys can come with me and Gaara to California. We were planning on waiting til October but I'm thinking we should leave as soon as Madara is rubbed out," Naruto added.

Shika looked at Sasuke and then turned to Naruto. "What about your papers?" Shika lit two cigarettes and handed one to Naruto. "I already found a guy who can snake your records when you turn eighteen and the orphanage files them."

Naruto saw the Uchiha tense outta the corner of his eye. "I won't need them."

"Why?"

 _Shit._

"They… they're not there. I mean, they won't be there. The orphanage won't file them." Naruto said and held his breath.

"How do you -" Shikamaru glanced at Sasuke and again to Naruto and stopped. "Alright," he said. "Well, this is something me n'the guys need to talk over. I don't wanna speak for them and we'll need to figure out whether or not to stay or head with you to California."

"I go where you go," Kiba said.

"Yeah," Choji chimed in and looked at Shino who nodded back. "We go where you go, Shika."

The street gang leader looked over to his friends and then at the Uchiha. He blew out a long breath of smoke, knowing his next comment would be unfairly loaded, but the stakes were high and Naruto wouldn't hold it against him. Not for long anyway.

Shika lifted his glass. "But Konan was offered Japan," he said and polished off the booze in his hand.

"Shika," Naruto said, stunned.

"Are you suggesting I value Konan's partnership more than yours?" Sasuke remained impassive. "Or are you interested in safe passage to Japan?"

"I'm interested in why Konan turned you down."

"You would have to ask her," Sasuke replied.

"Was it conditional?"

"Meaning?"

"You said you were taking those who were willing to join you and remain clan."

Again, Sasuke was pleased. Naruto had been right about his friend. Sasuke had enjoyed playing into the bait Shikamaru had set out but this, this was something else. The clever street gang leader who held no cards and had none of the muscle Sasuke would consider leverage in the man's favor - was negotiating terms.

Fighting a rare urge to grin, Sasuke casually sipped his drink. "Those on my crew who have already pledged fealty will remain clan. Konan is of the Akatsuki. She was not given an ultimatum."

Shika smoked his cigarette in silence.

"Shikamaru," Sasuke breathed out tiredly. "There are reasons why I didn't make you the same offer but it wasn't because you're involvement is less important than the Akatsuki and it's certainly not because I would insist you and your men become clan as payment for your safe passage."

"Shika? Do you and the guys wanna go to Japan?" Naruto looked from his friend to the guys; their shocked faces offering no clue as to what Shika was getting at.

"That's not the point," Sasuke said.

Naruto turned to him. "I don't -"

"He wants the option, just like everyone else." Sasuke gave Shikamaru a slight nod. "He's thinking of all possibilities. What if Konan is right to stay? What if she's wrong? What if I don't make it out alive? What if you don't?"

Shika's eyes twitched at the scenarios being said out loud. Still, sometimes hard truths were better than soft lies.

"What if none of us make it," Sasuke added and then crushed out his cig. "Shikamaru. Of course you are afforded the same choice as the others. I've seen to it that those in our ranks can and will be taken care of."

"Japan?"

Everyone turned to Kiba.

"I'm not saying I'm against the idea but... Japan?" Kiba said, scratching his head. He gulped down his drink. "It's a bit on the crazy side but as long as we're together, I'm in."

"Where you go, we go." Choji reached out and clinked his glass with Shika's. Shino got up from his seat and joined them just as Kiba raised his.

Naruto smiled and stole a quick look at Sasuke but the gangster's eyes were on the guys.

"If it's what you want, I'll make sure you and your men make it to Japan." Sasuke pulled back his shoulders and waited.

"Deal," Shikamaru answered and stood up to face the dark haired Uchiha. "You got yourself a deal."

Sasuke rose from his seat and with outstretched hand, went to him. "Deal."

Naruto marveled at Sasuke's confidence. Through the entire meeting Sasuke had shown no surprise and no hesitation. There had been no snark or egotistical barbs thrown around to let Shika or the others know Sasuke was the one in charge, or worse, was staking his claim. No, Sasuke had instead treated them all with quiet respect. Keeping his seat, Naruto watched the guys one by one shake hands with Sasuke. A small smile played on Sasuke's face and as far as Naruto could tell, it was an honest smile.

* * *

It had taken the rest of the week to see to all the last minute arrangements.

Despite the low profile Itachi needed to maintain, he insisted on involving himself in each aspect of the final plan. Sasuke knew it was more about Itachi wanting to familiarize himself with every player and nuance of their schemes rather than double-checking Sasuke's decisions, but it had irked the younger all the same; their sibling rivalry always bubbling under the surface of all they did.

Once the final Friday afternoon prep at Tokyo Palace began, Sasuke was feeling confident that all their preparation would pay off in victory. That is until Sakura started to sing.

With everything coming down to tonight - his brother already having departed Pierrepont, the way Sasuke was still smarting from his and Naruto's stilted last morning together, _and_ the subsequent flight from his home in New York - Sasuke was in no mood for melodramatics. Yet here he was, listening to words he'd denied himself for the past few weeks, being sung by his pink haired nightclub singer for all to hear.

To say Sakura's new song brought a torrent of added emotions to the young Uchiha gangster and his crew was one hell of an understatement. The melancholy music, her lyrics, the goddamn violins. It wasn't just that her song irritated Sasuke; he could handle irritation. No, Sakura's song gutted him to point of fantasizing to fire her on the spot unless she agreed to scrap the song altogether.

His final morning with Naruto had been hard enough. Last night had been intense. Their sex and passion took on untold meaning. So much that once morning came neither knew what more there was to say. They showered together like always but it had felt far from comfortable. Casual eye avoidance and subdued sex was all their last morning together had delivered. Both fought against adding weight to the moment, and so aside from the heavy panting and a few grunts, both men had held back their usual moans and cries of pleasure; shuddered gasps of breath being the only indication that each had reached climax.

And when it came time to leave, neither voicing a goodbye.

Once at the club, Naruto and Sasuke expected to deal with a few chores and final preparations before opening the club, offering to both of them welcomed distractions and mindless prep work to help them bury their emotions and ready their heads for the evening. Apparently neither of them had counted on Sakura.

Sasuke knew who the song was meant for. Hell, the faces of his crew members said they knew as well. Still, as she sang the song once, then twice, each lyric scraped against his bones and chafed his nerves making him grateful his brother wasn't around to hear Sakura's disconcertingly apt words.

The Pink Lady looked up from her music stand to Sasuke at the bar. When he nodded his okay, she beamed back and signaled to the band to again take it from the top. It was her enthusiasm to get the song just right that kept Sasuke from turning his back and walking out.

There was no denying it was a beautiful piece and like nothing he'd ever heard, but the part of him that was impressed by the complexity of the song, wasn't strong enough to deny the part of him that just wanted the whole number to go away.

" _Sweet love, sweeet love, trapped in your love... I've ooopened up, unsure I could trust, my heaart aaaand I were buried in dust…"_

Sasuke downed the whiskey in his glass. Up on stage Sakura looked both confident and terrified and he couldn't blame her. How she was able to stand in front of them all and confess was beyond his understanding.

The week had rushed by. There had been drill upon drill. Money men, travel plans and making sure Naruto's friend Shikamaru was all set in a storefront near the docks; and of course late nights with Naruto. Each too short and out of Sasuke's power to control as one by one, his and Naruto's last days ticked away.

" _Can't you seee that I'm bound in chaaains..."_

Sasuke thoughtfully pulled a drag from the cigarette in his hand.

 _I am bound to youuuu, I am bound to youuu..._

Naruto flooded his mind.

The way he laughed. The way he tasted. The way the goddamned blond refused to back down. Even in bed, Naruto could match Sasuke. The Uchiha had finally found someone who could rival him and to add icing to the cake, the former street rat was no slouch went it came to brains. He wasn't as analytical as Sasuke but the blond had near perfect instinct. He acted on will and guts alone. Measured all dealings against his tightly held moral code and never hesitated to act accordingly. Figuring out Naruto had bought a rare sense of delight to Sasuke. Naruto was tough, a force of nature as his core but he was also pure hearted in his quest to always do the right thing and the young Uchiha gangster had found the man, irresistible. The first and only time in his life he had let down his guard. The blond would never betray him. Never lie.

Goddamn the day he first laid eyes on Uzumaki Naruto.

Sasuke disliked deliberation. His instincts were sharp enough. In all his life he never needed to linger too long over a problem. Get done what needed to be done. Boldness is the key to fortune and when it came to something he wanted, Sasuke never hesitated to take it. Until now.

The whole situation with Naruto had thrown him. Even Itachi seemed affected by the blond. It seemed as though both Uchiha brothers had been blindsided by revenge as well as newly acquired lovers. But regardless of the distractions, it was unlike Sasuke to mull so hard over whether his decision to not ask Naruto to join him in Japan was the right one and it was even more unlike Itachi to push so hard to get Sasuke to do just the opposite. The elder usually preferring veiled, confucius-like riddles laid at Sasuke's feet to decipher; never tiring of trying to instill wisdom via masked brotherly jabs at the younger.

At his usual spot at the bar, Sasuke sat amid the cigarette smoke and watched the stage. He tried to shut out the damn song lyrics along with the choice words his brother had for him a few nights ago over dinner... but wasn't having much luck. Itachi's insistence that Sasuke was making a mistake by not asking Naruto to join him in Japan seemed to Sasuke a bit bold even for his brother.

Maybe it _had_ been on Sasuke's mind to stop Naruto before he left that morning and prove to Itachi that he'd been wrong in his assumptions. But when Sasuke watched the blond flash him a soft grin and head out the door with nothing more than a, " _see you later tonight_ ," from his lips, the young Uchiha knew he had ultimately made the right choice to say nothing at all.

Sasuke took another hit off his cigarette. His precious brother had been wrong. Asking Naruto to come to Japan would only end in disappointment and regret. For once in his perfect life, Uchiha Itachi had gotten it wrong. Sasuke was sure if it.

 _Itachi waited exactly two and a half days after his introduction to the crew, before he approached his little brother and Sasuke had been impressed by the restraint. Of course there were no overt signs to imply that the request for a quiet and private dinner with just the two of them was anything more than an attempt to pass the time while both their lovers were seeing to preparations for Friday night's opening; but Sasuke was no fool. So when Itachi made the suggestion, it was the dare in the elder's eyes that caused Sasuke to accept. Ever eager to prove he was as smart or smarter than his Nii-san, the young Uchiha took the bait with zeal._

" _The money's been dealt with. Everything we could ship ahead of us without drawing attention has been loaded onto a train with Juugo as guardian." Itachi looked up from his cup and handed Sasuke the carafe of coffee. "Are you sure you want to leave your car?"_

" _It's just a car," Sasuke replied. "Besides, I doubt there will be many paved roads for me to drive it on."_

" _It may not be New York City but it's not a backwards society, Sasuke." Itachi sipped his coffee. "I noticed you didn't ship your katana."_

 _Sasuke cut into his steak and took a bite._

 _You could call it the calm before the storm; he and his brother playing their old familiar games while enjoying a peaceful night dining out on the fourth floor veranda. The two brothers seemed to relish the impending storm; a welcomed test of their mettle if you will._

 _Sasuke wondered how was it that time seemed to still during moments like these? Why couldn't the clocks take a powder whenever he and Naruto were making use of every surface in his bedroom or soaking for hours in the tub as they talked about everything under the sun?_ Almost everything _, his mind whispered. Sasuke reached for his crystal glass and downed the leftover whiskey from earlier._

 _Dark impassive eyes followed the movement._

" _Will Naruto be travelling to California with us?" Itachi asked. "It seems the logical solution. No sense in heading in the same direction separately."_

" _He hasn't said anything about it."_

" _Did you ask him?"_

 _Sasuke set his fork down. "His plans were set before I met him. They're not my concern."_

 _Itachi reached for his napkin and then leaned back into his chair. "So you haven't asked him to join us on our way to California?"_

" _No."_

" _And you haven't asked him to join you in Japan." Itachi tossed his napkin to the table. "Sasuke -"_

" _Shut up, Itachi." Sasuke's temper flared but Itachi just stared back. "Do I have to repeat what he said for your amusement?" Absentmindedly, he patted his vest for his cigs. "You heard him. The knowledge of his parents won't dissuade him from his plans with Gaara and there's nothing waiting for him in Japan." Frustrated Sasuke got up to fetch the bottle of booze at the far end of the table._

" _When did he say there was nothing waiting for him in Japan?" Itachi asked._

" _He knows I still don't accept his choice not to seek out his family and we argued." Sasuke stared hard at his brother. "He knows Itachi, he's not a fool. If I ask him, he'll turn me down. He won't break his pact with Gaara."_

 _Itachi reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes._

 _Sasuke eyed the freshly crushed out cigarette butt in the ashtray. "Picking up your old habits again?"_

" _Did I tell you Kakashi will be making the voyage with us?"_

 _A cough thick with whiskey came from Sasuke. "You're joking," he said. If the younger could have managed a wide-eyed look of astonishment, it would've shocked his older brother. "Is Japan the sort of society that would accept such a thing? I mean really, Itachi, one isn't enough?"_

" _The village is not so far away from the large cities as to be called rural, while at the same time it's distance from the main cities allow the villagers to keep to their own." Itachi lit two smokes at the same time and passed one to Sasuke. "With a soon to be strong Uchiha presence along with the money to secure all our needs, I doubt anyone will concern themselves with the lifestyles of a few eccentric philanthropists."_

" _Then congratulations, Nii-san. You get your way. Again." Sasuke blew out his cigarette smoke and lifted his glass._

 _Itachi leaned forward. "You missing the point, Otouto. I asked Kakashi to come with me and he accepted."_

" _I told you, I'm not asking Naruto."_

" _Because he'll turn you down."_

" _Yes, he'll turn me down! Is that what you want you sadistic son of a bitch?" Sasuke slammed his glass down. "Let me guess. You want to be there when I do to relish in my rejection?"_

 _Itachi exhaled his smoke. "What I want is for you to ask him to come with you. If he turns you down then the years after will be on him and you can take comfort in having no regrets."_

 _Irritated by his brother's gentle stare, Sasuke pulled his eyes away and refilled his drink. "I don't have any regrets."_

" _Really."_

 _The whiskey warmed Sasuke's throat as he swallowed. "We had our time." Sasuke set down his glass. "It'll have to be enough," he added and then got up from the table. "Dinner was… thank you for joining me, Nii-san, but I'm going to turn in."_

" _One last thing," Sasuke said and turned back. "I don't want you talking to Naruto about this. I mean it, Itachi, I can see it in your goddamn eyes. Don't interfere. The man made his choice and you know how I detest melodrama."_

 _Itachi lifted his chin. "If that's what you -"_

" _That's what I want," Sasuke interrupted and left his brother at the table, casually smoking his cigarette, alone._

Sasuke snuffed out the current cigarette he was smoking and set his drink on the bar. Itachi had been wrong that night and Sasuke was positive there was nothing he could say that would ever change Naruto's mind. Still chewing hard on his thoughts, Sasuke looked up in time to catch the blond as he passed by on his way up to the VIP -without so much as twitching an eyelash in the mobster's direction.

He frowned.

It was the damn song. Sakura was mercifully taking a break, but with her back turned, he could see her instructing the band and pointing to the violins. Soon she'd start up the music again and Sasuke knew he couldn't stomach the damn tune even one more time. He downed the rest of his drink, left the bar and headed toward the stage door. Maybe some time alone would -

"Did you like it?"

"Sakura," he said, almost grimacing at not being able pass by unnoticed. "Yes, it's fine. Just make sure not to end the night with it."

Sakura smiled. "Of course. Thank you, Sasuke."

"Excuse me." he moved past the bandstand and left out the stage door.

Once inside the suite, he went straight for the whiskey on the table and poured himself a large glass. In a few hours the club doors would open and there will be no turning back. He tried to clear his mind for the night ahead and not think about what he should do once it came time to say his final goodbye to Naruto. A handshake would seem like an empty gesture at this point. Sasuke scowled. What the fuck was he supposed to say?

A knock at the door startled him.

" _Otouto._ "

Sasuke let his brother in.

"I like what you've done with room." Itachi's eyes slid from each corner and wall and up to the concealed contraption hanging over the large bed beyond. "And to think you were questioning my proclivities."

"What do you want, Itachi?" Sasuke said, his mood souring even more.

"You haven't talked to him."

"How did you get here? The plan is for no one outside my crew to know you're alive and yet here you are risking it all to ask me about Naruto."

"I'll take that as a no," Itachi said and took a seat.

"It's done. I'm not going to ask him." Sasuke sat on the red couch across from him.

"You should ask him," Itachi said.

"Why?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his brother. "What have you done? I told you not to talk to him but you went against my wishes didn't you?"

"Not at all. I kept my word and said nothing to Naruto."

"Then -" Sasuke stared at Itachi. " _Gaara._ Goddammit, Itachi."

"He and I have a lot in common," Itachi said.

Sasuke refilled his glass. "It doesn't matter. Whatever he told you won't change Naruto's mind. You've met him, you know how stubborn he is."

"I also know how stubborn _you_ are. Change his mind for him."

Sasuke looked up from his drink. "Why are you pushing so hard?"

The elder got up and rounded the table. He looked down at his brother and gently took the glass from him and swallowed down half his drink.

"I've always proudly taken credit for the level of intelligence you possess, my dear brother. Are you really going to disappoint me now?"

"What the fuck is that -"

"If you don't know why I'm pushing so hard," Itachi said and handed the drink back. "then maybe you shouldn't ask Naruto after all."

Itachi turned and went for the door. "I won't see you until -"

Sasuke stared at his brother's back. "You too."

Both brother's smiled though neither knew it, then the door closed behind Itachi and Sasuke, left alone to consider his brother's words, downed his glass. Trying to reconcile his feelings for Naruto while keeping his concern for his and his brother's final reckoning on the back burner was more than Sasuke had bargained for. Everything was riding on tonight and tomorrow and here he was _deliberating._

Though Itachi's words played on Sasuke's mind, the idea of taking his brother's advice caused his pride to swell. He'd been turned down by the blond before and it wasn't a pleasant memory. Hadn't Itachi met the man for himself? If Naruto was anything, he was steadfast in his loyalty. Sasuke wasn't sure anyone could get Naruto to change his mind except Naruto himself. Sipping from his glass, Sasuke wondered if that was true. The man did lean toward the ethical no matter what the consequence, but break his word? No, Naruto wouldn't do that to Gaara or anyone. And Itachi was an Uchiha. He must have seen it in the damn blond when they had all spoken together. He can read people just as well as, if not better than Sasuke.

"Tch." Sasuke scoffed and finished off his drink. His brother was losing his touch if he thought the man he met in Sasuke's bedroom would ever -

"Goddammit, Itachi," Sasuke mumbled and then paused at the sound of another knock at his door.

* * *

" _Sooo much, sooo young, I faced on my own…_ _waalls I buiiilt uuup became my home…"_

Naruto's heart sank into his stomach and a flash of heat filled his cheeks. He blinked for a moment not believing the words Sakura was singing. She had already sang it once all the way through and now as if to clarify that she had somehow gained access to his deepest thoughts, she was singing it again.

" _I braace myyyseelf, please don't tear this apaaart!"_

Naruto turned away from the stage and headed to the VIP section so he could clear the area. With his stomach in knots he climbed the stairs, careful not to make eye contact with Sasuke who was stationed at his post behind the bar. The whole morning had been agonizing; not knowing what to say or if he should say anything at all as he and Sasuke shared their final moments in his bedroom. And now this?

Was Sakura out of her mind? _What must Gaara be thinking?_ Naruto's stomach somersaulted as he worked to shift the tables and check the planters and though the urge to steal a glance at Sasuke was strong, Naruto fought against it.

" _I am bound to youuu, I am bound tooo…"_

Of course she had meant the song for Gaara but that didn't stop it from playing a number on Naruto. He wanted to look around and find Gaara to see how he was handling this uncomfortable confession, but scanning the club would risk catching the eyes of his lover. _Former lover,_ his mind corrected and Naruto took in a shaky breath and did his best to stay focused on working the area.

His hands gripped the chair in front of him. He and Sasuke's last night together had been amazing.

This morning had been torture.

He could feel the words Sasuke wanted to say suffocating the room as they dressed. The damn Uchiha's intensity had overwhelmed him, making Naruto anxious and desperate to get dressed and get out. Had he stayed and allowed Sasuke a chance to speak his mind, yes it would have only made everything harder, but now with his and Gaara's earlier conversation filling his head, Naruto didn't what the hell he was supposed to do!

Naruto's head began to ache at the memory of Gaara's words.

The, _see you tonight,_ he said to Sasuke this morning was still sounding in Naruto's ears, when he descended the stairs and saw Gaara waiting for him at the bottom causing the questions floating around in his mind regarding his goodbye to Sasuke to flitter away.

" _Hey."_

" _Hey, Gaara. Already packed?" Naruto went to him._

" _Didn't have much to pack," Gaara answered._

" _Heh yeah, I don't have much either," Naruto said and stepped past him. "Let's go down and get everything ready."_

 _The two moved through the manor and made their way downstairs._

" _I was thinking with the money we saved, we could take the train to California." Naruto said, opening the door to their downstairs apartment. "Travel in style, ya know?"_

 _They walked in and Naruto noticed the duffle bag leaning against the wall. He and Gaara never talked about how they were going to get to California but if it ever needed to be said, now was the time._

" _I only got a few things I'm taking with me, so it'll just take me a minute," Naruto added._

" _What does Sasuke say?" Gaara asked._

 _Naruto stopped. "Huh? What do you mean?"_

 _Gaara moved into the living room and tossed the Ford keys onto the coffee table. "What does Sasuke say about making the trip to California?" Gaara turned and faced his friend. "I know it's crossed your mind that we're both headed in the same direction. Don't you think it makes sense to travel together?"_

" _I honestly didn't consider it," Naruto said quietly._

" _Naruto."_

" _No, Gaara I swear! I never once thought about asking Sasuke if we could tag along with him and the others."_

" _Goddamit, Naru." Gaara's green eyes lifted & met the pleading blue ones of his best friend. "I asked if it crossed your mind that we should all travel together." _

_Naruto's mouth hung open._

" _Are you going to tell me you haven't considered it?" Gaara stuffed both hands into his pockets._

 _Time to pay the piper, Naruto thought. He'd been keeping secrets. Everything had become so tangled that Naruto had filed Gaara away with the rest of the crew. Guys who had to be kept in the dark until the Sasuke gave the word to let them in. It had been wrong to treat Gaara the same and as Naruto stepped into the living room, he knew he couldn't defend his actions._

" _I considered it," Naruto admitted and stood straight, ready for his well-deserved scolding._

" _And you didn't think traveling with Sasuke and Itachi would be a much safer route to California than trying to hoof it alone?" Gaara stood firm. "You didn't think talking about it was important?"_

" _Gaara, I'm sorry. I know I haven't been talking to you about all the plans and telling you everything that's been going on. Itachi being alive. The plans to shut down The Palace -"_

" _Stop it."_

 _Naruto pulled in his breath and stared at Gaara. The green in his best friend's eyes turned dark and hard._

" _I don't give a fuck about Itachi or the club," Gaara said. "That's clan business. Do you think I just fell off the turnip truck? Naru, you wouldn't betray a confidence if it meant your life."_

" _I don't under -"_

" _Those aren't the things you've been keeping from me."_

 _Naruto swallowed. "Gaara…"_

" _You stand there implying that asking Sasuke about us traveling with him to California would have been a betrayal while hiding the fact that you have parents in Japan."_

 _Naruto froze and shut his mouth. Did Sasuke talk to Gaara? "How did you find out?" Naruto asked._

" _I had a late night at the club. When I got back I took a meal out on the porch and overheard you and Sasuke talking out on the balcony."_

 _A slow nod followed by realization hit Naruto and his eyes went wide._

" _Calm yourself, Blondie. I left before I heard any…" Gaara shut his mouth and cleared his throat. "Anyway, I heard it from your own mouth and later from Itachi, so what gives, Naru?" Some of the intensity left Gaara's eyes and Naruto was grateful for that much. "Why didn't you tell me?"_

" _Itachi?"_

" _Naruto."_

" _Okay, alright. Uh, can I..." With a point of his finger, Naruto gestured to the kitchen. Gaara didn't object and in a flash, Naruto disappeared. A moment later he emerged with two beers in his hands and a bottle opener tucked between two of his fingers._

" _Here," Naruto said and handed Gaara one. "In booze there is truth."_

" _Huh?" Gaara opened his beer and handed back the opener._

 _Naruto shrugged. "I don't know," he said as he opened his own and set the bottle opener down. "I guess I'm just nervous and thought maybe a little alcohol would help."_

 _Gaara took a seat at the far end of the couch and Naruto took the other._

" _What's there to be nervous about?"_

 _Naruto stared at the bottle in his hand. "That I don't know what to say other than what you overheard me tell Sasuke? I haven't changed my mind about California and I have no intention of going to Japan." He looked up but couldn't read Gaara's eyes._

" _Why not?" Gaara asked._

" _Huh?"_

" _Why. Not?"_

" _I don't kn -"_

" _Yes you do." Gaara stared at his best friend. "I've had time to think about it and after talking with Itachi, I can make a pretty good guess but I wanna hear you say it. You've been keeping lots of secrets so I think I deserve the truth from you on this."_

 _The blond gaped at Gaara. "There's… there's nothing waiting for me in Japan. You, the guys, you're my family and Itachi could be wrong, ya know?"_

" _You don't think there's anything waiting for you in Japan?"_

" _No! I mean, uh…" Naruto's nerves began tense. "Gaara we decided on California and I'm going to California. I don't know, I mean even if Itachi's right, those people in Japan don't know me and I don't wanna know them. I've gotten on pretty good so far, haven't I? On my own? What the fuck do I need parents for?"_

 _Naruto felt out of breath but Gaara just sat there watching him. Frustration gnawed at him. He was telling Gaara the truth so, why wasn't he saying anything?_

" _This is bullshit," Naruto said and got up. "I don't need parents! What -when did Itachi talk to you? What did he tell you? That I wasn't abandoned? That they've been looking for me all this time? Well, I don't care, Gaara. I don't. You n'me we're going to California and away from this fucking mob business. We're starting new and no pseudo parents in Japan are gonna make me change my mind!" Naruto stopped pacing and faced his friend with his fists clenched._

" _Are you done?" Gaara took a sip of his beer and then steeled his eyes at his best friend._

" _Gaara -"_

" _You're afraid."_

 _Naruto let out dry laugh. "Hah. Tch. I'm not afraid." A nervous smile rose at the corner of his mouth. "This isn't about me being afraid."_

" _Yes it is," Gaara said._

" _Are ya nuts? That's not -"_

" _No, you had a chance to explain, now it's my turn." Gaara chugged his beer and used his sleeve to wipe his mouth. He motioned for Naruto to sit down._

" _We've been friends for long time Naru and you're right, we're family. But this isn't about you trying to replace me or the guys with your real family. You think going to Japan and finding your real family will make me n'guys think we don't matter to you anymore?"_

" _That will never happen. I'm not go -"_

" _-going to Japan," Gaara finished. "Yeah, you said that but I don't think that's what this is really about either." Gaara leaned back into the sofa. "This is about Sasuke."_

 _Naruto opened his mouth and then shut it._

" _What? You gonna try and deny it?" Gaara asked. "You keep saying you have no intention of breaking your promise to go to California but I think you're using me to get out of going to Japan."_

" _Gaara!" Naruto jumped up. "I would never, I'm not -"_

" _Sit down."_

 _Bewildered, Naruto sat. "What are you saying?"_

" _I'm saying that you're using the promise and California and me as an excuse to hide because you're afraid."_

" _You think I'm afraid of going to Japan? Of finding my parents?"_

" _Yes," Gaara said. "Naruto, I think you're so scared of meeting your parents and them finding out about you and Sasuke, that you are willing to throw away your chance at having a family. At being happy."_

 _The thud of Naruto's heart echoed in his ears. "That's not…" Naruto's voice faltered._

" _You're afraid of what they'll think of the life you've led, and with Sasuke in Japan, how would you be able to keep the relationship from them? Would you keep your whole life a secret?"_

" _I -" Naruto sat still. "That's not the -I mean, sure it would be hard but, I'm not a -" Naruto's hands began to sweat. "I'm not a -"_

" _Ashamed?" Gaara said quietly. "I don't believe you are and there's no reason for you to be, but meeting your parents means telling them everything. How you lived, survived, everything. And I think it scares the shit outta you."_

 _Naruto stared at the beer in his hand._

" _Will you tell them about the orphanage? Your life on the street hustling with me n'the guys?" Gaara asked._

" _I don't know, I mean, no." Naruto looked up. "I'm not going to Japan, so no, I'm not telling them anything."_

" _So you're gonna chicken out of the chance to have a family?"_

" _You and I are family, Gaara, what do I need them for?"_

" _Because they're your parents." The redhead shook his head, casting his eyes down._

" _Naru," he said. "I would give anything for the chance you have. We both know what kind of man my father is but what you don't know is how many times I wished and prayed that he wasn't."_

" _None of that was your fault. The man is scum. He's -"_

" _My family," Gaara said. "Whether I like it or not. Maybe I don't care if he lives or dies, but the pain is still there. The what if's and the regrets." Gaara looked at his friend. "I love you like a brother, Naru, but if I thought for one second I still had family in Japan, I'd ditch you and California and travel with Sasuke back home."_

" _Home," Naruto mumbled. "How do you know it's home? You don't even remember it. I don't remember it," he said. "Home is where the the people you love and who love you, are."_

" _You don't think your family will love you?" Gaara said._

" _That's not -what about you?" Naruto leaned forward. "You're telling me I'm afraid, well then what does that make you?"_

" _I'm not afraid of my feelings for Sakura."_

 _Naruto blinked, surprised the redhead admitted it. "Well then why haven't you asked her to come with us to California? What the hell are you afraid of?"_

" _I'm afraid of not getting it right," Gaara said, and Naruto saw a shadow pass over his friend's green eyes._

" _What happened wasn't your fault. It's been years. Sooner or later you're gonna have to let it go. You n'me, the orphanage… we were just kids. We did what we had to and we survived."_

 _Gaara looked away. "Yeah."_

 _Seconds as long as hours passed as they sat in silence stewing in their thoughts, each trying to piece back together the disarray of their emotions._

 _Naruto sat up straight. "I'm not leaving you to go to Japan."_

" _If that's your choice -"_

" _It is."_

" _Then I won't ask Sakura to come with me."_

" _Gaara! You can't put that on me!" Naruto said._

" _Why not? You're making me the reason you're hiding from your parents."_

 _Naruto shook his head. "It's not that easy."_

" _There's no shame in how you've lived your life, Naru. If they're good people, good_ parents _, they'll accept you as you are and that's worth ditching me n'California for."_

" _And if they don't?"_

" _You'll have Sasuke," Gaara said._

" _Gaara, you can't do-"_

" _I just did," Gaara said flatly and got up from the couch. Once at the front door he turned back. "Since that night when… well, since then all I wanted was for you find a place you could call home. I knew then, just as I do now that the only thing you ever wanted was to live in peace. And I wanted that for you too. So much that making sure you got it became my mission."_

" _Gaara."_

" _Maybe it wasn't my place," Gaara said. "To act like your big brother and push you like I am now but I don't care. You have a chance to find some happiness and I won't let you use me as a reason to chicken out."_

 _Naruto's mind scrambled. "What about Sakura?"_

" _She'll understand."_

" _Goddammit Gaara!"_

 _The redhead held up his hand. "You choose Japan and I'll take Sakura with me to California."_

 _Naruto opened his mouth to protest but Gaara was already out the door and closing it behind him. Angry tears welled up in Naruto's eyes and he grabbed the beer bottle from the table and hurled it at the wall. The loud crash along with its shattered destruction brought him little satisfaction. He looked around the room wanting to smash every piece of furniture in the place. Maybe then he'd feel better about the fast one his best friend had just pulled on him._

 _Instead, Naruto gaped at the empty room. Semi-shocked over Gaara's words and eyes wet with emotion, he got up and walked to his bedroom. Only a few minutes ago, he had known where he was going and with whom. There had been no doubts, no lingering questions about what was the right thing to do but now..._

 _Naruto stared at his closet. Yamato had brought his clothes back from Sasuke's room for him; a silent confirmation that Naruto was going one way and Sasuke another. He moved a few of the suits aside and saw that Yamato had included a few of Sasuke's pajama bottoms in the bundle. There was no way he would've added them to Naruto's clothes on his own._

 _Sasuke._

 _A pained smile came to his lips and Naruto couldn't stop the tear that rolled down his cheek. Biting his lip, he swallowed down the lump in his throat._

" _Goddammit Gaara. What do I do now?"_

Up in The Palace VIP, Naruto blinked and looked down at Sakura on the stage. He could see her getting ready to again take the song from the top and turned away. He went to the last of the chairs and positioned them around the tables, overly concerning himself with how many inches each chair should be from the other. He didn't want the song to start again. He couldn't bear to listen to Sakura sing her heartache knowing Gaara had already made up his mind.

As long as Naruto held to his choice Gaara wouldn't budge on his. He wasn't going to ask her to come with them California, there wasn't going to be any happy ever after for either of them.

Maybe what he had to do was convince Gaara that the three of them should run off to California together. To get the hard headed redhead to stop with the stupid ultimatums. Or… would he have to find some way to push aside his doubt and shame and choose to meet his parents? Naruto's body tensed at the idea.

Sasuke's voice floated up from below and Naruto turned to look down at the band.

"Just make sure to not end the night with it."

Naruto watched Sasuke walk past Sakura and out the stage door. Near the bar Gaara working at one of the back tables near the bar where he and Sasori were wiring bundles for phase two while a table over, Sai checked every weapon and counted rounds. No one was talking but both Sai and Sas kept stealing looks in Sakura's direction, leaving little doubt that her song hadn't gone unnoticed.

As usual, Gaara's face was unreadable. His posture showed no outward sign of the turmoil Naruto was feeling over the tune and for a second Naruto marveled at his best friend's ability to always maintain control.

Would Gaara really leave Sakura behind just to spite Naruto? The blond's blue eyes dimmed as he watched his best friend below. No, it wasn't spite. It was the same unconditional love the damn redhead had given him from the beginning. Doing whatever he could to make sure Naruto was taken care of, safe and -

Emotion filled Naruto. _The goddamn redhead._ Gaara knew there would be no way Naruto would ever leave his side and this was his way of pushing him out, forcing him to see that they couldn't stay together forever. Naruto almost laughed at the obviousness of it. How had he missed it?

Naruto's heart picked up its pace.

Had they reached this point so soon? Too many years spent in the land of adulthood fighting each day for survival had made Naruto blind. Since the day they had bolted from the orphanage, hand in hand as they disappeared into the dark, they had never stopped running, had they? Side by side, year after year, whether with Shika and the guys or on their own, they had continued to run with each other and _for_ each other.

The lump in Naruto's throat returned if it had gone away at all, and he swallowed it down. _Is this it?_ Could he really just walk away and let Gaara go off to California alone? And what about Sasuke? After all of Naruto's insistence that he would never change his mind about going to Japan, had he burned that bridge beyond repair?

He flinched at the sound of Sakura testing the horn section and then the strings. The piano played the soft intro and the lonely sound of the violins filled the club.

 _Gaara will have Sakura._

Naruto closed his eyes to the music and wondered if he could really do it; choose a future without Gaara at his side. When he opened his eyes he saw his best friend looking up at him. There was no surprise, only a slight nod that the redhead could see the questions, doubts and Naruto's final answer all written on the blond's face. Gaara turned to Sasori and whispered something that had Sas nod his head back yes. Without looking back up, Gaara headed to the stage and lit a cigarette.

Naruto loosened his grip on the railing, walked down the stairs and went to him.

"I uh…" Naruto said and his voice stopped. Gaara faced him and held out a hand. Naruto looked at it then gripped it in a slow, firm shake.

"Yeah, me too," Gaara said and smiled.

One look at Gaara's smile and Naruto lost it. He squeezed eyes and his hand and yanked him in. A slap on the back and hard hug while gripping his best friend's shirt was over before Gaara had a chance to act surprised.

With the band playing on, Gaara watched his friend walk away. Still smoking his cigarette, his eyes followed Naruto as he left through the stage door and disappeared out of sight.

* * *

Konan and Shisui stood quietly in an overgrown field near the outskirts of Brooklyn. About a hundred meters away from where they waited, just beyond the dry weeds and dirt covered junkyard, stood a large warehouse. They had parked down on Dekalb and walked the rest of the way, not wanting to risk being seen driving into the area, and despite being away from all local traffic, there seemed to be no activity taking advantage of the off the grid location. One large bed delivery truck and two beat up Fords were the only signs that the warehouse was being occupied. Not a single foot soldier guarding the location. None that they could see anyway.

"Madara's shipment should arrive any day," Konan said.

"An added bonus for moving our plans ahead of schedule?" Shisui asked.

Konan gave him a sly grin.

With summer in full swing, both of them had worked up a good sweat during the hike over but neither uttered a word of complaint or let their discomfort show. The sun was close to setting but without a cool breeze to welcome the coming night, Konan wondered if the unbearable heat would keep Sasuke's hired men away.

"Will they show?" Konan asked.

"They're already here," Shisui said and lowered his chin, motioning to one end of the junk filled lot. "If you pick a spot and hold your gaze, you'll see their signal."

Konan looked to one of the abandoned cars and saw it. The tiniest ray of light flashed once and then three more times. Shisui took a small piece of glass from his pocket and tugged on Konan's sleeve.

"It would be best if we stay low when I signal back." Konan crouched low to the ground and Shisui did the same. He flashed the mirror quick one time then a long flash followed by another quick one.

Konan peeked through the tall grass and waited.

"There," Shisui said and Konan caught the signal.

One long flash of light, a short one and then two long flashes.

"There here and ready." Shisui put the piece of glass back in his pocket. "With the three here, and three each at Brownsville and Pennsylvania, your men should have sufficient back up for tonight."

"Sasuke did it," she said. "He said he would and he did."

Shisui smiled. "You thought he'd double-cross you?"

"I thought he'd hire me a few pawns he could use as bait while he made a clean dash for the west." She turned to look at him. "I never expected Anbu."

"You know of them?"

"Know them? They're fairytales. Spook stories meant to keep criminals from going too far."

"How so?" Shisui asked.

"A few years back, four or more maybe," she said and offered Shisui a smoke. "There was a mill that employed several underage children." Konan lit both their smokes and took a pull on hers. "Of course there's no federal law in place to protect the kids these days and whatever regulations there are, none of them come with any teeth." She examined the ciggy in her hand. "With so many cops on the take, it's not hard for a cotton mill or cigar factory to squeeze through the loopholes and immigrant children to slip through the cracks"

Understanding lit Shisui's eyes.

"Well, one day word got out that a cotton mill was not only working underage children but selling them to the local brothels." She took another hit off her smoke. "This has been going on behind closed doors since New York began but the guy who ran the mill wasn't making any effort to hide his deals. Sometimes even hosting lavish dinner parties, inviting men like Madara, Orochimaru and the Hyuga to _inspect_ the merchandise before purchasing."

Konan snuffed out her cigarette in the dirt. "Then one day, the old man who ran the mill, disappeared."

"Anbu killed him?" Shisui asked.

"No one knows. His body was never found and no one's heard a whisper of a rumor about the old man since. The old-timers, some of the first generation of Japanese to come to America were saying it was the Anbu. _Deru kui wa utareru,_ they said. That the Anbu would never stop watching over the boroughs."

"But you never believed it was Anbu."

Konan pointed up and Shisui nodded. They both stood and she dusted off her corduroys and stretched her muscles. "They were a fairytale," she said. "Who believes in fairytales?"

Shisui dropped his cigarette and crushed it out with his shoe. "Children," he said.

"Huh?"

"Children believe in fairytales."

The leader of the Akatsuki eyed him and then jerked her head to the side. "The sun is setting, Uchiha. We better get on with it." She turned back the way they came and Shisui followed after. "We got a helluva walk back to the car."

* * *

"Hey, Sasuke."

Sasuke moved back from the suite door and let Naruto in. "I thought you were my brother back for round three."

"I thought he was supposed to be -"

Sasuke slanted a look at Naruto and closed the door.

"Yeah well, I happen to know Uchiha men are prone to willful stubbornness," Naruto said. He went for the whiskey decanter and noticed the half-empty glass already on the table. He poured one for himself and refreshed the other. "Here," he said and handed a glass to Sasuke. "To a successful night."

The whiskey went down a bit harsher than usual as Naruto fought against his nerves. Was Japan even an option for him now? Naruto swirled his drink. Would Sasuke even ask him or would he have to find a way to -

"How's everything look?" Sasuke said after a quick sip.

"Good. Everything and everyone is in place."

"And your friends?"

"I just passed Tenten in the hallway. Shika's all set, Konan's men are ready and Shisui confirmed the Anbu." Naruto took another swig of whiskey, this time his throat eased up and he was able to get the full flavor of the booze. He licked his lips. "This is good. New bottle?"

"Uh yeah, Itachi bought it on his journey from San Francisco."

Naruto tilted his head. " _Uh, yeah?_ What's wrong, Sasuke. Tell me." Naruto took a step forward but Sasuke moved past him to the couch and sat down.

"Nothing another glass won't fix." Sasuke reached for the crystal but Naruto got to it first. The two men stared at each other.

Naruto motioned to Sasuke's glass and the Uchiha held it out to him. After topping him off, Naruto filled his own. "What did Itachi say?"

Sasuke gazed at him over the edge of his drink. "The usual." He took a sip and sat down on the couch, leaning back into the red velvet. Naruto followed suit and sat across from him. "You know how he loves his games."

"Speaking of Itachi and his games," Naruto added.

"I know." Sasuke let out a sigh. "I know he talked to Gaara. I asked him to stay out of it but neglected to be specific. As usual my asshole brother found a loophole." Sasuke motioned to Naruto. "Cigarettes?"

"Yeah." Naruto set down his glass and took out two smokes to light. "Well, I have a good mind to knock his block off for sticking his nose in my business." Naruto held out a ciggy to him.

Sasuke coughed and chuckled around his drink. "I would love to see that. You have my blessing," he said and took the smoke.

The grin that grew across Naruto's face sent an ache through Sasuke and he cleared his throat, pulling back his smirk.

"I should tell you," Sasuke said, "last night I got word from Konan that your friend at the docks volunteered to deliver the package."

"Shika?" Naruto sat up straight.

"Kiba."

" _Kiba?_ " Naruto pulled hard on his smoke. "Well, I'll be…"

"The drop won't happen til late tonight and Kakashi agreed to tail him just in case. He'll be fine."

Naruto saw the concerned look Sasuke was wearing. "Yeah, of course he'll be alright. Kiba's no slouch ya know."

Sasuke watched Naruto smoke his cigarette.

"Kakashi's gonna be there?" Naruto asked.

"Yes."

"Yeah, Kiba'll be fine."

"I asked Konan to keep the rest of your friends out of things but she said Kiba had been insistent and wouldn't back down."

Naruto let out a short laugh. "Yeah, Kiba doesn't like feeling left out. He'd charge Madara with a baseball bat if it meant helping his friends."

"I don't doubt it for a second."

Sasuke and Naruto shared a brief smile, and though neither would say it, the weight of the night's plans suffocated the room.

"Your friends will be fine."

"And your brother?"

Sasuke understood the deflection and went along. "If Itachi can come back from the dead, I have absolute faith he'll make it through tonight."

"Ha," Naruto scoffed. "And here I was sure you'd have your brother tailed the second he set foot outside Pierrepont."

Sasuke crushed out his smoke. "My brother and I made a deal."

Naruto crushed out his smoke as well. "So you're not worried about him?"

"I think we've covered all the bases and every contingency. Of course, nothing's certain but given the fact that we have Konan and your friends working behind the scenes, I like our odds."

"You didn't answer my question."

Sasuke lifted his eyes to Naruto and for the life of him couldn't keep the a smirk from his face. "I'm just as worried about him as he is about me." Sasuke set down his glass and relaxed into the velvet cushions. "But the die is cast. Nothing to do now but see it through."

Both men considered this as they drank.

Anxiety crept up on Naruto. So much seemed to hang in the balance. Gaara and Sakura, Madara and the Feds. He lit another cigarette and tried to think of how to bring up Japan, his mind fumbling over questions and topics to the point of distraction so that when he raised his eyes, he was almost startled at seeing Sasuke's sharp gaze already on him.

"Uh, I was curious," Naruto said.

"Hm."

"That night I saw you talking to Hinata. What did you talk about?"

Sasuke paused, clearly not expecting the question. "She tipped me off about Madara."

"Wow. Why did she confide in you? Not that I'm jealous or anything, just curious," Naruto said with a smirk.

Sasuke fought against another grin. "She mentioned something about not knowing what you saw in an asshole like me and wondered how you would react if you found out I knew about the murders and did nothing."

" _Did_ you know?"

"Not until she told me."

"So she was -"

"Banking on me not acting on the info so she could use it as a black mark against me."

The glass in Naruto's hand stilled. "No shit?"

"I got the impression she didn't like me much."

"Heh- yeah well, it's still a toss up whether or not _I_ like you." Naruto laughed and Sasuke had to turn from the way his blue eyes danced with humor.

"She's a strong woman," Sasuke said.

Naruto's smile faded. "I guess she's had to be. I can't… I don't want to imagine how hard her life's been."

"Not just her life, but for all of you."

"Hm?"

Sasuke let out a long drag. "The orphanage must have been one hell of a training ground for you and the others."

"In a way it was." Naruto leaned back.

"I know you don't like talking about it; the orphanage I mean, but have you considered going back?"

Naruto snapped his head up. "Why would I do that?"

Sasuke noted the change in Naruto's tone. "To settle the score. What was done to you, to Gaara and the others is unforgivable, Naruto."

"Sometimes it's best to let sleeping dogs lie," Naruto mumbled.

"You have powerful friends now, I can help you take that place down so what happened to you never happens to anyone else."

"You don't know him, Sasuke. I'm not suggesting you're a man without clout or means, but you don't know what kind of man he is."

"Then tell me."

"It wasn't just bankers and brothel owners, the man was in it with everyone. From the governor on down. For all I know, even Itachi's Fed connection wouldn't be able to take him out."

Sasuke refilled both their glasses. "You think he's untouchable."

Naruto took a long drink and winced at the burn. "I don't know," he said.

"Still won't tell me the name of the orphanage?"

"What for? We're battling Madara, the Hyuga and the Feds, isn't that enough? Why do you wanna take on some worthless piece of shit as well? Because he was mean to me?"

"He wasn't just mean to you, Naruto and you know it."

"Yeah well, I'm actually surprised you haven't tracked the place down already."

"I've been busy," Sasuke said, his voice taking on a husky tone.

Naruto smirked. "Going after Rasa won't change anything."

"I found no one by that name running any orphanage in New York."

"You think I lied to you?"

"Of course not, but you could be a little more helpful with the hints."

Naruto opened his mouth and then shut it. He let out huff. "You know, you're really good at getting what you want. You know that, don't you?"

Both men locked eyes.

"Not always," Sasuke said.

"Sasuke, I'm..." Naruto's hand scrubbed at the back of his head then he remembered his smoke and quickly pulled it back. "I'm -"

"I want to make things right," Sasuke added.

"I know." Naruto's eyes softened, and for a moment he thought he saw something in the Uchiha's look. Something he couldn't place.

"And I don't see the harm in telling me the name."

"Dammit, Sasuke." Naruto set down his glass and crushed out his cigarette. "Once you get your teeth into something you never let it go, do you?"

Naruto refilled his glass and missed the shadow that passed over Sasuke's face.

"Well, if there's nothing else, you should head back while I finish up here. I'll come join you and the others soon."

Naruto froze and looked at him. "You getting rid of me, Sasuke?"

"No." Sasuke lifted his eyes and softened them at his former lover. "I just need a moment or two. Please."

Panic took hold of Naruto. He had to say it out loud. If he was going to make sure Sakura ended up with Gaara in California and he with Sasuke in Japan he had to speak up and say the goddamn words.

"Please, Naruto." Sasuke's eyes made the blond reconsider. The look on his face reminded Naruto of everything the man had been through this past year. The loss of his brother, his parents and a hit on his life. Even Itachi turning up alive did nothing to change the fact that now Sasuke was faced with a clan war as well as the subsequent exile from his home and adopted country.

Naruto got up and finished off what booze there was left in his glass. "Yeah, alright," he said and set the crystal down.

"Naruto."

The blond stopped at the door and turned around.

"Thank you."

Naruto smiled. "See you soon?"

Sasuke nodded and Naruto walked out, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Gaara stood watch from the entrance balcony as the last night of The Tokyo Palace raged on below him. It concerned him that here they were, almost three hours into the club opening and Naruto still hadn't managed to talk to Sasuke about Japan.

The redhead pushed his hands into his pockets and took it all in. The band was really kicking things up and he scanned the dance floor, noticing how much more crowded it seemed than the previous months. Maybe Shika had been right and people could sense something big was coming because it seemed to Gaara that the rich patrons of The Palace were living it right up to the hilt this evening.

To his left, he caught sight of Sasuke occupying his usual place at the bar. Naruto was making rounds with Tenten, but never seemed to completely let the Uchiha out of his sight. Gaara also noticed how whenever the blond would turn his back, Sasuke's eyes followed him wherever he went. _That damn stubborn blond_ , Gaara thought, and went back to scanning the club.

Earlier when Naruto returned from Sasuke's suite, Gaara had went to him.

" _It wasn't the right time. I'll talk to him tonight,"_ was all Naruto would say. Gaara tried to get a read on his friend and find out whether it was Naruto's fear of meeting his parents or something else that had kept him from talking to Sasuke, but he walked away before Gaara had the chance. Now, watching both men from the clubs main vantage point, he marked every frustrated look and apprehensive movement the two were failing miserably at hiding.

Gaara turned his attention to the band. Any minute now, Sakura would take the stage, signaling the start of phase one. A loud crash below him caused him to peer over the railing for a better look. Two women were laughing hysterically and their dates were holding the drunk women up while apologizing to the waitress over a spilt tray. He darted his eyes to the right of the floor and saw Sai and Sasori, who as soon as they saw the situation was under control, quickly resumed their patrols.

The band never faltered but kept right on jiving with Benny Goodman's 1411 sending him memories of his and Naruto's first time at the club. The night of the shootout, of Sakura and the second time he took a life.

Gaara looked down and realized he had the railing in a death grip. He let go and again stuffed his hands into his pockets.

It had taken less effort than he had imagined it would, letting his blade fly into the throat of Sakura's attacker. He always thought that if faced with the choice again, his reflexes would give in to hesitation. Yet, there had been none. So much about his and Naruto's descent into the underworld had proven to be life altering, world shattering even. Both men had come through the last few months with more than money and tattoos to show for it. From the orphanage to the streets, to the Japanese mafia, he and Naruto had managed to go deeper into the crime world than either had anticipated or wanted using a new life in California as their excuse for getting in over their head. Instead hard lessons in love and pain had shown up as their roadblock to freedom, leaving all their once hopeful dreams hanging precariously on a razor's edge and in turn, tempting fate to play a part in tonight's schemes.

An ill feeling came to him.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

Gaara hadn't noticed when the music stopped, and he turned to the bandleader onstage.

"Thank you all for joining us here at The Palace tonight. It's now time to introduce our headliner for this evening so please put your hands together for The Tokyo Palace's very own, 'The Pink Lady'!"

Raucous applause thundered throughout the club and Gaara stood transfixed as Sakura entered through the stage door. The jade green dress she wore stood out like a cut stone against the black curtains along the back of the stage, polished with innumerable facets to reflect the grand chandelier overhead reminding him of...

 _The color of her eyes._

The night Gaara overheard Naruto out on the veranda, Sakura had been waiting for him when he returned to Pierrepont after working out his thoughts on the streets of Brooklyn. They had talked, or tried to but he didn't tell her about Naruto having parents and she hadn't asked why he had been out so late.

Gaara watched Sakura beam from the stage below and that strange, odd feeling in his stomach tightened. Sakura brought so many odd things into his life. A sense of calm. A funny flip in his gut. The quiet urge to lean in close and kiss her whenever he found himself staring at her lips for too long. Even the scent of her perfume drove him a little mad. Not into any crazy-kind of fit mind you, but into what Gaara would consider madness. An almost wild need to be near her.

Whenever she was close, Gaara's senses would go wonky and he'd forget what he was saying. It was frustrating and insanely addictive. Is this how it feels for Naruto and Sasuke? Gaara could only guess. Attraction was still new and foreign, making him feel like a kid learning arithmetic for the first time. Awkward and uncertain. Judging by the way his best friend had been completely broadsided by his own affair with the gangster led Gaara to believe that if it wasn't the same, it was damn close because that's how it felt. Like he'd been wrecked by even the possibility of love.

He knew Naruto would never leave his side without a shove in the right direction, but putting his future with Sakura on the line had been a very dirty hand to play. After all, he did _not_ want to leave Sakura behind. There was no sense denying it anymore; with Sakura everything felt... easy. Normal. He wanted to be with her.

Of course, Gaara never thought he would find love and even now he wasn't so sure he had, but what he did know was that he was determined to find out just _what_ _it_ was. His underhanded ultimatum to Naruto put everything on the line, and now as he watched Naruto and Sasuke on the club floor below, he hoped he made the right decision.

Down on stage, Sakura had begun to sing _Something's Got A Hold On Me_ and Gaara looked over to the bar just in time to see Tenten disappear into the box office.

 _Here we go._

He looked back to Sakura, thinking about how she had been the one to offer up words of assurance that night. She had waited up for him but until he could confront Naruto, he knew there could be no talk of California. He didn't want to jinx things by making any promises he wasn't sure he could keep.

No, not this time. This time Gaara was going to get it right. But that night she had shushed him, confidently taking over the situation and reassuring Gaara that everything would be alright and that they would talk later. After.

Applause broke out and Gaara snapped out of his thoughts. Then the band picked up again and a sweet voice rose up.

" _I'll be seeing you in all the old familiar places…"_ Sakura sang, her voice caressing each word like a lover.

Gaara saw her cast her eyes up to where he was. The corner of his mouth lifted and she smiled and then turned her attention back to the crowd.

The other night had begun innocent enough. Talking about who would be escorting her from the club and where would she be staying and was she sure it was safe.

He shook his head at the thoughts trying to remember to pay attention and stay sharp. Tenten emerged from the office and their eyes met. She didn't give him a signal so he knew there was nothing yet to report. Tenten worked her way through the club, and the crowd of patrons below him carried on like always. The slow and steady volume of the party-goers a stark contrast to what they had just set in motion on the other side of Brooklyn.

Gaara centered himself. Nothing was happening yet, but soon the night would break open and for better or for worse, chaos would thrust upon them all.

Just then the club entrance was pushed open and Gaara saw Shisui walking toward him.

"Need a break?" Shisui asked.

"Yeah."

"Go, while there's still time to use the head."

Shisui went to the railing to take up his post and Gaara walked out of the club and into the hotel.

When the club doors shut, the empty lobby echoed the faint sounds of the music around him. Then, as if no longer pressed to be on alert, his mind shoved the memory of the other night with Sakura right to the forefront of his brain.

The way she laid her head on his shoulder. The fragrance of her hair tumbling through him like a drunk trying to catch his footing, knocking his focus and attention to and fro.

"Good evening," the hotel clerk said and Gaara blinked and then gave the man a stiff nod back. He walked to the hotel entrance and stared out at the passing traffic.

His mind again swam back, to when Sakura turned her face up to his as they sat on the couch and him being unable to stop himself from reaching out to touch her lips, letting his fingers learn their softness.

Oh, the crazy ideas that went skyrocketing through his brain when he kissed her. And when he felt her entire body respond against his, how it had turned him on. There was no other feeling to compare it to, nothing within him to temper the swell of emotion that flooded through him.

God how Sakura made him feel lost and found all at the same time.

The way he touched his tongue to hers. Two lovers new to intimacy though both familiar with the biological act; carefully testing out each other's lines before crossing them to meet on the other side.

"Come with me," she had told him right before leading him to their bedroom.

The way his hands shook when she guided them to her blouse, undoing the buttons one by one, to expose the radiant skin underneath. The erotic feel of her breasts as she moved his hands over them and then farther down.

He had been clumsy, but it had been alright because Sakura was there. She had shown him. She led him the entire way with gentle assurance and endless patience and when Gaara tasted the sweet flavor of her skin, he knew then and there he would not leave New York without her.

"Gaara."

The redhead jumped and turned, his hand already reaching inside his waistcoat.

"Oiy! Easy there, Red," Sasori said. He had managed to come up behind Gaara surprising him. "I was only wondering if you could spot me. I gotta see a man 'bout a horse."

Gaara lowered his hand. "Sure."

"Thanks." Sas walked away and then stopped. "Oh and that dame of yours is really bringing down the house tonight, eh? That's gotta be a good sign, don'tcha think?"

Before Gaara could answer, Sasori was gone, already past the check-in counter and down the hall, heading for the bathrooms.

Sai stood waiting for him by the elevator. Gaara went to him and they both climbed in. As they rode down to the kitchen, a thought occurred to him- maybe he should ask Sakura now. Maybe when the club closed -no, as soon as her show ended, he thought. Waiting for Naruto to talk to Sasuke could take all night and they didn't have all night. At least not on this night.

"I got the left, you take the right," Sai said as they walked through the kitchen. They both took their routes and when Gaara stepped through the kitchen door and into the club, he glanced over to where Sakura was singing on the stage.

" _Would you like to swing on a star… carry moonbeams home in a jar…"_

Gaara pushed through the crowd and across the dancefloor. _At the end of the show,_ his mind repeated and set out on his patrol.

Weaving between fur coats and three-piece suits, a waitress jostled him hard and when she spun around to see who she'd bumped into, her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

"Gaara! Oh, geez-! I'm so sorry!"

"Ino," he said recognizing her. "Is it true Sakura will be staying with you tonight after we close?"

"Huh?" She said, straining her neck closer to hear over the band and the people.

"Is Sakura staying -"

"Oh yeah, me n'Ten got plenty of room! But she told me the guys would be bringing her over. Yamato and Shi… Shi -"

"Shisui."

"Yeah, that's him!"

"Thanks." He moved past her, angling in between tables and chairs and keeping his eyes to the front of the club near the bar.

There, talking to Tenten was Naruto.

* * *

Two streets down from the Brownsville warehouse sat Konan, hunched down in the darkness with her Thompson in hand; waiting.

There would be no more reflective signals from here on out. Dusk had come swiftly. The night seemed to drag on, making her wait in the dark feel like years rather than hours.

Konan hoped Sasuke had relayed her directions for taking out the warehouses to the hired Anbu, verbatim as so much depending on timing. Sakura would take the stage at eleven. Then three minutes later, she and her men, along with Sasuke's hired Anbu would strike all three warehouses simultaneously.

She and Yahiko had argued over where they both should be when the time came. He wanted her by his side but Konan insisted they were both strong enough to assist on their own. She would take Brownsville with Haku and Zabuza and Yahiko would take Pennsylvania with Deidara.

She hoped he would take the offering, seeing it for the compromise it was. With her joining Zabuza and Haku at Brownsville, the one extra man would give the three of them the better odds, but Yahiko had balked, arguing that she would be safer with him than running off trying to beat Sasuke to Madara.

"I'm not going after Madara. I'll be at Brownsville with Haku and Zab-"

"Cut the crap, Konan. You're planning to sneak off on your own and get to Madara first."

At the time, Konan didn't dignify his accusation with a retort.

Later she finally convinced him to let her go to the warehouse alone by appealing to his masculine nature, men being so easy to figure out. And now here she was, checking her watch piece in the light of a crescent moon and wondering, _if she survived_ , how soon she'd be able to take off and go after Madara.

On her hip was her trusty blade and in her hands the Tommy's safety was on. There was no way to know what sort of weapons the Anbu would be using or even if they'd recognize her once she emerged from her hiding spot and opened fire, but she supposed legend and fairy tales didn't accompany men who were inexperienced in combat.

She took in a long, deep breath and recalled her training under Yahiko. She was ready.

11:02.

As she watched the second hand of her watch sweep its way around the numbers, she thought about Zabuza and Haku. They should be coming to the North side of the ware -

Two shadows appeared against the building and Konan eyes easily marked them as her men. The only question left was whether or not she could depend on the Anbu. Well, it was too late to contemplate that now, she thought and flipped the safety of her Tommy. She opened the bolt as quietly as she could and pressed the butt of the gun into her shoulder. Glancing down at her watch lying face-up in the dirt, she steeled her nerves and stood up.

11:03.

* * *

"What's the word, Ten?"

Tenten looked up at Naruto as she shut the box office door behind her. "It's a go but nothing on the line yet."

Sakura's voice filled the nightclub with _Swinging On A Star_ and Naruto was struck by the ridiculousness of the moment. Moonbeams and murder, he thought, and knew the song was forever ruined for him. Shaking it off, Naruto looked over at Sasuke who already had his sights on him.

"Your friend is set to leave in twenty-five minutes," Tenten said.

"Huh?" Naruto turned back to her. "Kiba? Is Yamato back from Pierrepont?"

"He's on his way and Kakashi should be minutes from Times Square."

Naruto swallowed. "Thanks, Ten."

The feisty brunette smiled up at him. "Hey, whatever happens at least it was never boring, eh Blondie? We had some good times, didn't we?"

He stared, shocked by her joke. Only it wasn't a joke was it? The unassuming petite Japanese weapons expert had given him insight to the bigger picture. And with a smile no less.

"Heh, yeah Ten, we sure did."

"Fucking aye," Tenten said and Naruto errupted in laughter at her use of Sasori's favorite curse.

"Fucking aye," he said and gave her a squeeze.

Like a flash Tenten was off on patrol and Naruto turned back to the bar where Sasuke stood, still watching him.

 _It was never boring._

His mind played with her words as he held Sasuke's gaze. No one knew what the future held and nothing was certain. But if somehow he could carve out a life for himself amidst all the greed and ugliness in the world, then wasn't it worth it? To go after what you want and make your life anything but boring? Most men wanted money and some were content with power, but Naruto wasn't _most men._ He wanted peace. He wanted _Sasuke_. And even if his quest for it all blew up in his face on the shores of Japan, _at least it had never been boring,_ he told himself. Life had blazed a trail in front of him and daring to risk it all, Naruto had gone along for the ride and survived.

He smiled at Sasuke and the Uchiha twitched his mouth in response.

Movement from of the corner of his eye grabbed his attention and Naruto spotted Gaara, nudging his way past the drunks and the skirts and heading straight for him.

Naruto went to him. "I'm gonna tell him," he said.

"Me too," Gaara answered. "I mean Sakura. I'm gonna ask her tonight. Soon."

The two men stood there for a minute, their minds shuffling and dealing out memory upon memory of the times they had gotten in and out of trouble together since the age of five or six. Neither, though, was equipped with the ability to express what he was feeling, so both simply waited out the awkward silence, somehow knowing that letting the moment happen, however uncomfortable, was part of it.

Gaara was the first to look away and saw Sasuke watching them.

"You better get to it," he said. "It's getting late."

"Heh, you first," Naruto laughed and popped his chin out toward the stage where Sakura was singing. "A pretty girl like that ain't gonna wait forever."

"Thanks, Naru," he said and stepped up close to his friend. His green eyes were bright and the soft scowl he normally wore suddenly vanished as he held Naruto's eyes with his own. "Thanks for everything."

Naruto throat went dry. He opened his mouth to tell him to stop with the fare-thee-well speeches but Gaara walked off to finish his rounds, leaving Naruto standing alone and blinking against the sting in his eyes. Remembering himself, he looked over his shoulder at Sasuke who was smoking a cigarette and staring back. Naruto noticed the tension in his face and the crease on his brow.

Then without warning, the club lights dimmed and the band went quiet. A soft piano filled the building followed by tentative violins Naruto looked from the stage to where Sasuke was, already knowing what song was about to fill the club and wreck the both of them.

" _Sweet love, sweeet love, trapped in your love…"_

In the middle of The Palace, without care or consideration to who might be watching, Naruto and Sasuke stared at one another, letting the heat of the moment build and ignite between them.

" _You're all I need when I'm holding you tight!"_

Then suddenly the gangster was off, shoving his way through the crowd without a single glance back at the people he was displacing in his effort to get the fuck off the club floor.

Naruto went after him.

* * *

Miles from the safety of his hideout at the docks, Shika sat behind an old deli counter of an empty store, and gave Sasuke's shortwave transmitter a curious look.

Learning the code hadn't been as hard as he expected it to be, but after the rushed lesson, what Shika had really shown interest in was the transmitter itself. When Sasuke's man came to set it up, he had watched Shisui with childlike fascination as each wire was stripped and fixed to the contraption now sitting in front of him.

Suddenly through the light static being given off by the receiver, came the rapid beeps of dots and dashes. Shikamaru picked up his pencil and scribbled down the msg.

BROWN SUIT PRESSED STOP PENN SAME STOP

"It's started," he said and Kiba looked over from the table he was standing at.

Shika saw the bag in Kiba's hands. "You don't have to do this," he said.

"And what? Have the Uchiha think I'm a coward?"

"Keebs, no one thinks you're a coward."

Kiba squinted an eye at him. "You're here, Naruto and Red are out there somewhere and you expect me to just lay up and be okay with you all taking risks for the rest of us?"

"Kiba."

"Nah, Shika, you said yourself that dropping the package weren't no big deal. I'm only headed to Times Square and will be back lickety split."

"Stick to the plan," Shika said as Kiba tossed his white t-shirt aside and pulled on the black one Sasuke's guy, Shisui had dropped off the day before yesterday.

"I know, I got this," he said and then grabbed his flat cap. "Be back in a few shakes."

"We ain't leaving without you," Shika said in a hard flat tone. "So you better get your ass back here fast."

Kiba smiled. "Whatever you say, Shika." Then walked out of the empty store and disappeared into the night.

Shikamaru closed the doors and locked them. He knew he had to keep the lights off so as not to draw attention and was silently grateful for the low lit moonlight peeking through the large windows at each end of the abandoned deli. He pushed his worry for Kiba to the back of his mind and returned to the counter.

"Shika."

He turned around and saw Shino at the back door. "Billy just ran up. He said a buncha cops and trucks were headed down Pennsylvania toward the North Channel."

"Did he run the whole way?'

"I think so."

"Give him an extra buck and tell him, thanks," Shika said and turned back to the counter to send out the information, his finger easily tapping out the letters and units one by one.

Shino and Choji were keeping an eye on the perimeter of the storefront Sasuke had secured for him and Shikamaru had every kid on his beat keeping an eye on the borough. They were supposed to relay through each other anything out of the ordinary, but instead, the kids wanting to work hard for any extra coin, had started racing on foot to the old deli so they could deliver the messages themselves.

He tapped out the message three times over and then reached for his cigarettes. Back when he told Naruto that he and the gang had no intention of turning their backs on him, he never imagined he'd find himself on the Uchiha's payroll as a result. Yet, here he was, working for the Uchiha Clan and contemplating leaving New York, _and the states,_ for good.

He settled into his chair behind the counter and looked down at the device in front of him. The Uchiha was not dumb. Sasuke's plan on how they could relay information without tipping off the operator lines was a stroke of genius.

 _They just might pull it off,_ he thought and lit himself a cigarette.

* * *

Red Hook wasn't exactly empty of traffic. With the harbor at his back and the lanes of Hamilton in front of him, Itachi walked deeper into the shadows, hoping he looked like just another longshoreman in his large black trench coat. He could hear fire trucks in the distance but had no way of knowing which direction they were coming from. The narrow alleys and overcrowded blocks of Red Hook made the far off bells and sirens bounce off every building around him, forcing him to keep his senses on alert.

A large man with wild, waist length white hair crossed the street and nimbly moved into the shadow of the nearby bridge.

"That's close enough," Itachi said and waited until the six foot plus man halted before he stepped into view.

"You got your information," the man said. "I saw your guy pick it up with my own eyes. Now where's my payoff."

"And yet," Itachi said, "you were instructed not to follow him. You broke the deal."

"Don't be a fool, Itachi, my deal is with you. Everyone else is fair game."

"And how'd it go? Tailing one of my men?"

"You already know we lost him."

Itachi tossed a large envelope so it landed at the man's feet. "Of course I know. The two missing girls everyone is looking for," he said and pointed to the envelope.

The undercover officer picked up the envelope and ripped open the top.

"You'll also find everything you need to take them all down. In return, you're to give me until 6 am before making your move."

"And let you and your brother walk away?"

"I'm handing you everything plus information on several of the Italian factions we've worked with in the past. I see Attorney General in your future," Itachi said.

"I don't give a shit about becoming Attorney General," the man said.

"Then what do you care about? You saved me when you didn't have to, then you forced my hand against the other clans as well as my own. Was it me or the clans you were after?"

"Tsk-tsk. Don't get cute, Uchiha, you're not my type. And don't sell me that bullshit. You were planning on taking them out yourself long before I rescued you from the pier."

"Then why let me warn my family if the plan was for me and my brother to go down with the rest of them?"

The man took a step closer and Itachi shifted his stance.

" _Easy,_ " the man said. "I guess I didn't think you had the balls to see it through."

"You guessed wrong," Itachi answered.

The six foot plus man flipped through the contents of the envelope. "I might be able to hold them off until 4 or 4:30 but I can't guarantee longer than that. I'll take my time getting this information to them, but once this is in their hands, nothing I say will hold back the tide."

"Will you be returning to the club?" Itachi asked.

"I got someone to cover my shift behind the bar," the man said, still inspecting the documents. "Wait. There's no location. What the fuck are you trying to pull, Itachi?"

Itachi turned his collar up. "Sasuke has the map to the gravesite. He's agreed to meet you at the location listed in the envelope in exchange for the information he's after."

"You think I'm going to let you lead me around by a leash while dropping breadcrumbs for me to follow? You got some nerve, Itachi."

"You'll either show or you won't," Itachi said. "But rest assured that if you don't, the map will find its way to editor's desk of The New York Times."

"You've got another thing coming if you think you can play me."

"You think the rules are the same for you as they are for me?" Itachi remained impassive but readied himself all the same. "I'm playing at the level you set, Jiraiya. If you'd like to renege on our deal, _say the word."_

"Threatening a government officer is a punishable offense."

Itachi only held his place, not moving a single muscle.

"Haha-ha! Itachi! You really know how to turn up the heat, eh?" Jiraiya let out a raucous guffaw that Itachi couldn't bring himself to trust as sincere.

Once calmed, the old man grinned slyly.

Itachi held his ground. "Why _did_ you help me?"

"Does it matter?"

"No," Itachi said and turned to leave.

"If your brother doesn't show, I'll have the entire agency waiting for you at every train station, highway and port. I'll shut down the whole of New York before I let you both get away."

"Deal," Itachi said and walked off into the night.

* * *

Konan did her best not to pick up speed. The Model A she was now driving had been left a few blocks away from the Brownsville warehouse by the Italian she sometimes employed. She broke out into a cold sweat as she shifted the gears and turned left. The sharp pain in her leg howled at her.

If her sources were correct, Madara was at Orochimaru's when they hit the warehouses. Would he run for it or would he head back to his estate and regroup?

"Shit."

She looked down at the blood seeping through her corduroys and winced. It had only been a graze but it was at the bend of her knee causing excruciating pain to shoot up her leg whenever she moved it. She shifted again and bit down on her lip to keep from screaming.

There had been nearly twenty of Madara's men at the site. _Why hadn't Zabuza tipped her off about the number they were up against?_ Konan scowled. She had known the expected opium shipment meant security would be beefed up but she hadn't counted on six pitted against twenty. Once shots started ringing out, the Anbu had already taken out close to ten. They were swift and brutal. A mixture of gun and blade, firing and slicing through Madara's men with ease leaving Zabuza and Haku to work back to back, circling and firing into the warehouse when Konan moved in to give them cover. Seconds later shots rained down from the roof, shredding the ceiling and taking out both Zabuza and Haku and almost shooting out Konan's kneecap. She returned fire with her Tommy and killed the sniper and when body fell to the warehouse floor and she and the Anbu closed in and took out the remaining foot soldiers.

In the haste to make a clean getaway, she was forced to leave the bodies of her men behind. Guilt she long ago learned to clamp down and shove aside, rose up inside her. Trying to clear her head, she blinked and shifted gears, letting the pain wash through her and smother those unwelcomed thoughts.

The deal was that Madara was up for grabs.

Whatever the damn Uchiha may think of her, she knew she had the same chance at taking out Madara as Sasuke did. It had hurt when along with Sasuke, Naruto had doubted her ability to take out the clan boss -but given the way she used him, she supposed it was to be expected. Her quest for vengeance had left her too cold for casual relationships and Yahiko was the only one left who understood this part of her. She had cared for Naruto. That hadn't been a lie. But she knew the two of them would never see eye to eye about what it took to survive in this world, and the part of her that still cared for him, didn't want to be the one to change that precious naivete the blond seemed to have in spades.

" _C'mon_ ," she said out loud, pressing down the accelerator despite knowing she would only be drawing attention to herself by speeding down the streets at this hour.

If Madara wasn't at his estate, then she'd leave him for Sasuke to finish. _But if he was._ Konan gripped the steering wheel and skidded into a right turn. Her heart was pounding and she eased up on the speed just enough to keep her from crashing. She would never deny that she'd gladly trade her life for taking the bastard out, but the crafty Akatsuki leader had no intention of going out one moment before.

Konan's amber eyes gleamed with delight as she shifted again; this time welcoming the rush of pain that pulsed through her, pushing her to drive on through the dark streets of Brooklyn toward whatever fate that awaited.

* * *

Back at The Palace, Sakura's voice had cast a spell over the audience. Tenten smiled up at her friend on stage and then went back to scanning the floor with her expert eyes.

" _You're allll I neeed, when I'm holding you tiiight…"_

She watched Naruto follow Sasuke through the stage door and still smiling, she turned from where Sakura stood at the microphone crooning out her love song lament and looked up at the entrance balcony. Gaara caught her eyes and with the flick of his hand, gave her the _so far, so good_ , signal.

A familiar face was coming down the stairs.

"Where's Sasuke?" the man asked as he walked up to her.

"Hey, Yamato. He's with Naruto, in the suite." Tenten lifted a brow at the formal man.

"I was told to report to you when I arrived," Yamato said, choosing to ignore the brunettes subtle innuendo.

"You can take the bar for now, but once Pinkie's done with her show, you and Shisui know what to do."

Yamato nodded and then left to go to the bar. Tenten continued her way to the entrance staircase and went up to where Gaara again stood sentry.

" _I am terrified to looove for the first time…"_

Sakura's voice drawled low and hauntingly, captivating the patrons into stunned silence and causing Gaara to lift the tiniest of smiles.

As she reached the landing, Tenten grinned at the way the redhead stood staring down at Sakura, seemingly enchanted.

"It's a beautiful song," Tenten said.

"It is," Gaara replied, fully aware that Tenten had walked up next him. "Shisui is monitoring the lobby. Any word from Shika?"

"Brownsville and Pennsylvania are done. Fire department and the police are already there."

"Casualties?"

Tenten's face stilled. "Konan and the Anbu made it out. Yahiko lost one too."

"And Bushwick, anything?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"What about -"

"No word from Kakashi or your friend, but we should hear something soon."

Gaara turned his attention back to the club and scanned the floor below.

"Ya gotta let all the cards play, Red," Tenten said. "And trust in the hand we got. It's a pretty good hand if you ask me."

"I just don't like the idea of going all in," he said and Tenten laughed.

"Ya gotta bet big to win big," she said.

"I hope you're right."

Tenten smiled and gave Gaara a soft pat on the back. "Yamato's gonna take the bar for a while. Then when Sasuke and Naruto get back, I'll have him relieve you up here so you can set up post in the VIP."

"They head to the suite?" Gaara asked.

"Sure did and I don't blame 'em one bit, Red," Tenten added. "Goodbye ain't an easy word to say."

He turned to look at her and saw her eyes immediately register the words he couldn't say.

"Really?" Tenten grinned from ear to ear. "Our boys are gonna get a happily ever after?"

Gaara didn't answer but instead looked again to the stage where Sakura was singing her song. _His song._

"Oh," she said. "Well, it ain't none of my business but if that look on your face means what I think it does, then maybe you oughta consider knockin down that stubborn wall of your own, grabbin that pink haired beauty you can't stop ogling and run off to Japan with them."

He didn't turn around, but stayed listening to Sakura.

" _Sweeet love, so puuure…"_

"Alright, Red," she said. "I'm gonna make my rounds and swing back through the elevator and down to the kitchen."

"Got it," he said and didn't see the soft look Tenten gave him just before turning and heading into the hotel lobby.

* * *

Times Square wasn't completely deserted. As Kiba swaggered across the street towards the large white building on his right, a Model T came screaming past him, blaring on the horn. He knew better than to raise his head or worse make eye contact with the driver. _Stick to the plan and get your ass back._ He tugged on the leather strap of his saddle bag.

With sunrise still hours away, he'd look like nothing more than a newsie hoofing around for a better corner to peddle his paper... but he pulled his flat cap lower anyway, trying to shield as much of his eyes as he could. _Don't wanna be the dummy that monkeys up the works,_ he thought and stepped onto the curb.

"229 West 43rd Street," he said under his breath and stopped himself from letting out a sweet whistle when he looked up at the sheer mass of the building in front of him. Careful not to let his feet slow to a shuffle and have it look like he was scoping out the joint, he dropped his head and continued down the sidewalk.

Shrill police sirens howled in the distance and Kiba had to fight that hardwired instinct to run for it. The courthouse was only a block away and that didn't sit well with him at all, especially tonight, he thought and absentmindedly patted the leather bag.

"We'll make it."

Everything was dialed up to ten now that the warehouses had been hit and with Madara likely on the run, going all buggy now would only fuck up the plan. He was supposed to head around the back, drop the package, ring the bell and scram. The scram part he was looking forward to.

Once Kiba reached the end of the block he knew only a few more turns would take him to the narrow alley he was looking for. Shika had told him exactly where it would be, and Kiba knew if Shika said it'd be there, it'd be there.

He slowed his pace. He didn't trust the darkened windows. The men inside were used to getting tip offs in the middle of the night; they'd spot him if he gave them the chance. This thought made Kiba's heart-rate double, but he knew if he stuck to the plan, _Shika's plan_ , he'd be fine.

Up ahead he saw it. There were several doors along the back of the building but only one had a hole ripped into its awning. A big gaping mouth poised over the entrance with strands of fabric hanging and waving slow, like fingered teeth beckoning for a treat. Kiba sneered at it.

"I ain't no coward," he said and walked straight for it.

Shika's guy on the inside told him to lean it against the door, ring the buzzer for at least four seconds and then beat the pavement fast.

" _He said, once that bell's rung, the newsmen make a break for the door, all tryin' to get the scoop,"_ Shika had told him. " _Keep your head down and your big mouth shut when you break for it, understand?"_

Of course Kiba understood, he wasn't a dummy. Hadn't he been the one who came up with the copacetic plan to jump that flattie that tried to collar Naruto? He pulled his shoulders back and looked down at the package he set against the door.

"Push the goddamn buzzer already."

Kiba jumped and spun around, eyes wide and heart slamming against his chest. A dark figure was standing a few feet away and hiding in the shadows.

"Wh -"

"Don't," the man said in a low voice and put his finger to his mouth; the universal sign for, _Shh._

He stepped out of the dark and immediately Kiba recognized him. His eyes must have made his realization known because the man nodded back to him and then pointed his finger at the door with a hasty jab. Kiba snapped out of it and reached for the door, jamming his finger into the button. He didn't hear any buzzer but when he looked up, he saw office lights blink on; one after another after another.

The man grabbed his shoulder and yanked him away and the two of them hit the concrete and disappeared into the night.

* * *

When he came down the hallway, Naruto found the door to the private suite ajar, and when he stepped in, closing the door behind him, he saw Sasuke already waiting with two whiskey-filled glasses; one in each hand.

Out of habit, the blond slipped off his shoes before going to him. The two toasted in silence and drank.

"One more?" Sasuke asked and Naruto held his glass out to him.

"Oh hell, yes," he said and Sasuke grinned.

After they both were halfway into their second drink, Naruto stilled his hand and opened his mouth to talk. Gaping at Sasuke he suddenly didn't know what to say.

"Naruto," Sasuke said first.

"I know this morning was…" Naruto said, finding his voice.

"Yes, it was," Sasuke said. They looked at one another. "I didn't expect it to be this hard."

"Me neither," he said.

"I know some things are better left unsaid but -" Sasuke stopped.

Naruto bit the inside of his lip. "Heh, yeah it can drive a guy crazy trying to figure out how to… you know."

"Say goodbye?"

They stared at each other.

All Naruto had to do was say it. Stand up and face his lover like a man, and tell him how he felt.

"I'll admit I was hoping you'd say it first," Sasuke said. "Then there would be no question, no doubt."

"What do you mean? No doubt about what?"

Sasuke clenched his jaw at the feeling of nervousness that shot through his gut. "That there was something I could say to change your mind."

Out of habit, Naruto opened his mouth to retaliate, to remind Sasuke he had made his choice but instead said nothing.

"Naruto?" Sasuke set his drink down and stepped closer to Naruto. "I see it in your eyes. There's something."

"There's nothing. I mean…" Naruto walked past him and set down his drink. He nervously looked around the room. "The shoji. It's gone," he said and walked to where it once stood.

Careful not to lose the chance he saw flickering in front of him, Sasuke followed Naruto's lead. "They picked it up early yesterday morning," he replied. "I had to sneak it out in a meat truck. I didn't want to leave it behind."

With his back to Sasuke, Naruto gazed at the bed beyond. "I remember watching you from the bed. Watching you on the other side of the shoji, watching me."

Sasuke moved in behind him. "When I got back from my meeting,"

"You were tugging at your necktie when you turned and saw me."

"God, the things you were doing." Sasuke took hold of Naruto's waist, half expecting the blond to tense or pull away, but Naruto only leaned into him.

"I love it when you watch me. You get this look in your eyes that makes me want to do the most shocking things just to watch you break."

Sasuke moved his mouth closer to Naruto's neck. He teased the skin with his warm breath and circled his arms around Naruto's waist and pulled him in tighter.

"You definitely know how to break me, Naruto," Sasuke whispered.

The sensation sent a course of goosebumps down Naruto's body and he arched into his lover.

Sasuke responded by palming the front of Naruto's slacks. "You're always so hard for me," he said and began to feed on Naruto's neck; hard biting kisses that would mark him one last time.

"Ungh, Sasuke." Naruto flexed into Sasuke's hand which was now inside his pants stroking him off. "I can't do it. I can't say goodbye."

"Then come to Japan," Sasuke said, not letting up. "Not as clan but because you want to be with _me._ "

The sound of Naruto's moans egged Sasuke on until he was frantic.

"Bring who you want. Gaara, Sakura, I don't care. I'll personally see to it they're all taken care of, or if you won't come with me, then I'll stay. I'll let Itachi go to Japan without me and I'll stay with you in California."

"They'd hunt you down," Naruto groaned.

Sasuke pulled back and spun Naruto around. "If you won't stay with me then I'll stay with you."

"Sasuke…" Naruto took in the pain etched into his lover's weary face. He placed his hands on either side and gently slid one over Sasuke's ivory smooth cheek while the other played against the pillows of his lips. Naruto leaned in and touched his mouth to one then the other, his heart pounding at the familiar taste of Sasuke. He moved his hands back and gripped hard the dark hair there. Sasuke responded by digging his fingers into his ass nearly cutting through the fabric of his slacks with his nails.

"Come with me," Sasuke said. " _Stay with me."_

Naruto pulled back a looked in Sasuke's eyes.

"Please," Sasuke said and Naruto kissed him.

Every piece of will both men had squirreled away with the hope that when the time came it would help them conquer goodbye, shattered against the passion of their kiss. Sasuke's heart felt near exploding and Naruto lungs felt breathless as they tasted each other.

"Japan or California," Sasuke said in between a flurry of kisses. "I go where you go."

Naruto leaned back and caught the onyx eyes that now held his soul with his own. "And I go where you go," he said and crushed his mouth to Sasuke's. Bittersweet exhilaration cascaded through him. Yes, one road was at an end but a new one alongside the man he had grown to love, was just beginning.

Naruto clung to Sasuke and Sasuke in turn pulled him tight and breathed him in. The feel, the smell and the knowing enveloped the Uchiha, filling him with the unmistakable awareness that without Naruto, no place was home.

* * *

"So you _are_ alive!" A dark figure walked toward Itachi. "I was starting to believe your new man Shisui, had been some kind of ruse meant to trick me."

"If you suspected a ruse, you would have tried to kill him on the spot," Itachi answered.

"And risk your wrath for putting down one of your precious pets?"

"I said, _tried_." Itachi walked up to the man.

"Haha! That's what I like about you, Itachi, you never give an inch. Not a fucking inch."

"It's good to see you too, Kisame."

The man inched out of the shadows. His face was drawn, narrow with a pair of dead eyes sunken into his face. _Shark's eyes,_ Itachi had always thought. Eyes that held no remorse behind the boundless intellect that was always lurking at the surface.

"I know where they are," Kisame said.

Itachi flung open his trench coat and his hand reached for something behind his back. "For you."

Kisame looked down and took the large envelope from him. Cash, along with several deeds and titles to Uchiha property were inside. He grinned.

"It's a shame you're set on leaving. I think a man like you could be formidable in this country. Politics, bootlegging, whatever your fancy you and I would make a great team."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Itachi said.

"Take it however you want, Uchiha," Kisame snarked back. "Your man is at the warehouse near the pier down from your street."

"Pierrepont?"

"Ha, did you think to look so close to home?" Kisame let a chuckle fill the dark alley where they had met. "You're slipping, Itachi."

Itachi said nothing.

Kisame smiled. "Your other man is at his office."

"The Fed's will be on him soon," Itachi said.

"No they won't."

Itachi stood stiff. "Explain."

"This morning I found out he's got a guy on his payroll over at The Times."

Itachi knew better than to let his disappointment show. "Do you know which warehouse?" he said.

"The second to last one on the left of the pier. Almost near the end of the walk. I got it from a good source he's waiting for a Ferry to pick him up at dawn."

"Thank you." Itachi tossed another smaller envelope at the informant. "I may have never known your motives, but you were always on the level. I respect that."

Kisame caught the envelope and undid the rubber band that bound it. Tightly packed hundreds were inside. "Will you ever return?" he asked.

"No."

"Then good luck to you, Itachi."

"And to you, Kisame."

Itachi turned and headed back down the alley. His pace was sure and absolute. He didn't have to worry about Kisame attacking him from behind because Itachi knew what Kisame knew… there was no honor in it.

* * *

The sound of applause was dying out just as Naruto and Sasuke emerged from the stage door.

"The house lights are on. Were closing," Naruto said.

"Find Tenten," Sasuke answered back as they walked across the club floor to the bar.

"Sasuke!"

Both men turned. It was Tenten. She moved past the guests who were heading up the stairs to exit the club and went to them.

"The Anbu monitoring Madara's place wired that all his men rabbitted," she said. "Once word got out, everyone hit the road. The only one's they didn't spot leaving were Madara and Obito."

"They're still at his estate?" Sasuke asked.

"Maybe. Or maybe they snuck out somehow," Naruto said.

"Right," Tenten answered. "Sooner or later the cops are gonna find out who those warehouses belong to and raid his place."

"That's still no guarantee that Madara's men or the Hyuga's won't come here tonight, nothing's changed," Naruto said.

"He's right," Sasuke said to Tenten. "We'll keep to the plan. Get the band and the all the hotel staff out of here. Naruto?"

"Yeah."

"Wait! That's not all," Tenten said.

Sasuke and Naruto exchanged a look.

"What's happened, Ten?" Naruto asked.

"The Hyuga is waiting for you in the kitchen," she said.

"What? _Alone?_ " Sasuke's anger began to flare. How could his men have been so stupid to allow the Hyuga inside?

"Easy there, Uchiha, it ain't that Hyuga."

Panic hit Naruto. " _Hinata is here?"_

"And she's waiting for _you._ She said she'd only meet with you and to tell you she came alone. I had Shisui and Yamato confirm none of the Hyuga's men were following."

Naruto turned to Sasuke. "I'll only be a minute."

"It's alright. Go," he said and gave Naruto a slight smile.

"Thanks," Naruto said and hurried back to the kitchen.

Some of the staff were already leaving out the kitchen door that opened up to the stage trying to make it to the stairs and some were pushing their way down the hall to exit the side door. Not wanting to seem panicked, Naruto did his best not to break composure as he angled through them.

Finally reaching the walk-in freezer he spotted her waiting patiently in an impeccable black sequin dress.

"Hinata."

"I know you don't have much time and neither do I," she said.

"What are you -"

"Please, just let me," she held up her hand. "You don't have to worry about Neji. I've seen to it he won't be interfering in what's going down tonight."

"How? I mean -what's going on tonight?" He flustered and fought against a grimace.

"Please, Naruto. I've been in this racket longer than you have. The phone lines are buzzing and no one can reach Madara."

"Tell me what you've heard," he said.

"No." Hinata's eyes darkened. "We don't play for the same team, remember? But I did you one better, didn't I?"

"Hinata, if you put yourself in jeopardy just to help me out..."

Naruto took a step towards her but she brought up her chin and leveled her silver eyes at him. "I have my own reasons for keeping my clan as far away possible from The Palace tonight."

"How did you get him to agree?" Naruto asked.

"I appealed to his baser needs."

"Hinata…"

"I drugged his sake, Naruto. He'll sleep like a baby. But more importantly, without orders directly from Neji, the men defer to me and I've made it clear that we are not to come to Madara's aid."

"Wh -Why help us?" Naruto knew she would have to face the Hyuga's rage once he woke from whatever concoction Hinata had given him.

"You don't have to worry about me, Naruto. I can handle Neji."

"You say that but -"

"And I don't care for the pity in your eyes. I do what I want and understand better than you what I will face once Neji wakes and realizes what I've done."

"You don't have to face him. You don't even have to stay in New York. You could leave him and come with us tonight. You can have a better life than this."

Hinata stared at Naruto and then let out a dry laugh.

"Hinata."

"Naruto," she said with an odd smile. "You must think me so beneath you."

"No! That's not, -why? Because I want something more for you than this? Because I think you deserve better than this sort of life?"

"Because you have the nerve to assume I'm not already happy where I am."

Naruto gaped at her.

Hinata let out another laugh. "See? How could you possibly understand? I know what you must think of Neji but I love him, Naruto. He was there for me in ways you can't imagine. Regardless of the business he's in, it doesn't change what kind of man he is."

"And what kind of man is he?"

Hinata smiled. "The kind of man that wouldn't leave me to run off with a childhood sweetheart."

"You sure 'bout this?"

"Naruto!"

Both Hinata and Naruto turned to see Tenten coming toward them. "We don't have much time left!"

"Yeah," Naruto answered and then looked back at Hinata. "I gotta go."

"I know," she said and stepped closer. "Take care of yourself, Naruto." Hinata leaned in and softly kissed his cheek. "Until next time?"

He smiled back at her. "Until next time."

Hinata walked past him and Tenten went to her. "It's probably better if you leave from the side exit. With all the staff leaving, you got a better shot at not being spotted."

"Thank you."

Tenten and Naruto watched her leave the kitchen.

"C'mon Blondie. The night ain't over yet." Tenten tugged on his sleeve and they both walked out the kitchen door that led out to the club.

"What's the word, Ten?"

"Your guy relayed info on Bushwick."

"What happened?" Naruto asked, sensing Tenten's hesitation.

"The only thing he knows for sure is that there was an explosion and the whole warehouse went up in flames. So far no reports from the Anbu or anyone that there were survivors."

"Shit. Does Sasuke know?" Naruto asked, pausing when they got to the top of the stairs at the nightclub entrance.

"I told him right before I came to grab you."

They both looked at each other and walked into the lobby.

"Stick to the plan, Naruto and we'll be alright." Tenten offered him a smile but he noticed how it didn't do anything to erase the worry in her eyes.

"Yeah," he said. "Wait, where's Gaara?"

"He's set up in the VIP area. Want me to get him?"

"Uh no." Naruto scrubbed his hair. "I'll head up there as soon as I'm done making sure the hotel is empty."

"You got five minutes," Tenten said and Naruto took a deep breath.

"Yeah, I know."

Naruto went to the doors and then spun back around. "Ten! Make sure Shika leaves the storefront now!"

"Already told him to bail out and leave no trace." She gave the blond a smile. "Now go!"

"Thanks Ten," Naruto said but the brunette had already gone.

In the lobby Naruto saw there were a few stragglers loitering around the front desk.

"Uh, good evening," he said approaching them. "The club's closed now and we'd like to keep things a bit quiet for our, uh guests. So if you don't mind. The exit is... right this way." Naruto gave the men an awkward grin and held his hand out toward the front lobby doors.

"We're not leaving," a woman in front of him slurred. "We want rooms."

One look at the way the woman was wobbling on her high heels and Naruto knew he had a delicate situation on his hands. Drunks were not known for their understanding and cooperation.

"You heard her." A disheveled man in what might have been a tuxedo earlier in the night but was now missing a cummerbund, tie and vest, stepped forward.

Four other men and women voiced agreement, asking where the desk clerk was and why they had been left waiting so long.

"My apologies!" Sasuke called out as he headed their way. "Ladies, gentlemen. We are booked up for the evening, so if you please."

The air around Sasuke crackled as he held out his hand in the same fashion as Naruto. Though his face sported a subtle smile, there was no humor in his dark steely eyes. The presence and command of the Uchiha was palpable, reminding the guests in front of him that nightclub and hotel proprietor was _not_ his full-time job.

Without a word, the man in the barely there tux, wrapped an arm around his date, lifted a hand to his brow and saluted Sasuke goodbye. The other's sensing the shift in the mood, followed his lead and though they huffed and scoffed their way out, not a one dared to turn around.

"You'll have to teach me how to do that one day," Naruto said.

Sasuke smirked. "It's a gift."

"I bet," Naruto said and went to the lobby doors. "Where's Yamato?"

"After he cleared all the rooms and bathrooms, he and Shisui took Sakura home."

"Then we're clear?" Naruto asked as he stared out the glass doors.

"Shisui already set the rigs so all that's left -"

" -is to lock up and wait." Naruto finished. He could see the worry in Sasuke's eyes reflected in the lobby doors. He reached for the lock and turned it. "We're gonna make it. All of us."

"Absolutely," Sasuke said and though his voice sounded lighter, Naruto didn't see a change in his expression.

"Sas -"

" _Gan ni niang!"_ Someone shouted and Naruto's eyes went wide.

He'd been looking at Sasuke's reflection in the glass and not straight ahead. On the other side of the lobby doors stood four familiar Chinese faces.

" _Oh fuck."_

"What is it?" Sasuke said from behind him but Naruto didn't respond. His eyes stayed glued on his and Gaara's old adversaries. All four of them were smiling at him from the other side of the glass doors and when one of the Chinese gang members stepped forward, Naruto's heart slammed in his chest at the sight of the Tommy gun in his hand.

" _Sasuke!"_

 _To be continued..._

* * *

A/N: Well, I'm sure you noticed the main song of this chapter by now. One day I was driving home from work practicing this song for karaoke night and BAM, the image of Sakura on stage in a 1920s nightclub flashed in my mind. By the time I got home, I already had the first three chapters roughed out in my head and the basic idea for the ending. It might be a little bit of a stretch for some of you to consider the song Bound To You as a 1920s tune but hey, this is fanfiction and an alternate universe. Meaning, I'm god of the world in this fic and so what I say goes. I'm sorry for the long delays in between chapters but tying up all the loose ends proved much harder than I anticipated. A real novelist I am not. -Not to mention my new job is hella demanding and coming home every night just to fall dead asleep usually wins out over working on this story. But never fear, Dear Reader, I will finish this! And I hope you stick around til the end. Thank you for reading and please remember, while I'll offer no lame cliches or platitudes in regards to the painful loss of Chester Bennington, I will say that I hope whatever pain you are dealing with -you keep fighting, you keep striving and keep loving.

Blessings to you all,

Tandy.


	23. Chapter 23: Goodbye

**Warning** : Explicit violence, blood and death. There will also be dark content regarding the murders of the brothel girls, etc. If this level of disturbing content bothers you, I make no apologies for it but suggest you not read this chapter. I warned people from the beginning that in my fic the bad guys stay bad guys and you won't find any last minute redemptions in my fic like in the Naruto series.

 **Author's note** : If you're looking for an explanation as to why it's taken me so long to update, I have none. Life is life, Dear Reader and I struggle with real world problems just like everyone else. I will however offer my sincerest thanks to those of you who encouraged me online and in private that it was okay to take my leave of absence. And to those of you who are still here to read the finished product, you have my thanks as well. This final chapter of Bound to You is dedicated to you, Dear Reader. I hope you enjoy this last journey into the lil world I created and that if anything, my lil fic has entertained you. This was my first ever attempt at writing fanfiction and while I've written several other shorter fics since starting this one, Bound to You will always have a special place in my heart. All my love and thanks to my Bae, Kizu for not only inspiring and encouraging me to write this fic but for being my sounding board, my constant comrade in fic writing and my friend. I love you oh so much. Happy reading everyone!

 **Disclaimer** **:** Naruto and its characters are not mine. I make no money from this story.

 *****This chapter is unbeta's so please forgive any and all fuckups. Thank you*****

* * *

 **Chapter 23:** Goodbye

 _Analysis requires calm, Otouto._

A lesson so impressed upon Sasuke as a child that now he no longer recognized it as Itachi's voice, but as an extension of his own. In his youth, he would pout and in later years scoff at his brother's insistence that Sasuke learn to control his anger and instead focus. Though he'd never admit it, deep down Sasuke always took Itachi's words to heart. Thousands upon thousands of hours with his brother, katana against katana, learning to still his mind, read an eye twitch - listen for change in breath or the rustle of clothes that would foretell a coming move - Sasuke had learned it all, and had learned it from the best.

So now as he stood in The Palace lobby just behind where Naruto stood frozen at the sight of the armed men at the hotel doors, Sasuke's mind didn't need to deliberate. With lightning speed, he registered the Chinese gang members, the tommy gun and the only solution.

Before Naruto finished shouting his name, Sasuke had already pulled his gun from his holster and fired straight through the glass doors, shattering them instantly.

Covering his face from the flying glass, Naruto ducked. Sasuke remained calm and unmoved.

"Naruto," he said.

Without looking back Naruto dove to the left, freeing up Sasuke's range of fire. Taking advantage of the Chinese gang's shock and surprise, he fired off four more rounds, with his fourth landing square between the eyes of the man who held the lethal Tommy. The man's head snapped back as he dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes with the machine gun still clutched in his hands.

Naruto scuttled backwards on the floor, his fingers fumbling over his holster trying to find his gun while the men at the door screamed incoherent Chinese and wailing over their dead comrade even as they worked to pry the Thompson from his fingers.

"Sasuke goddammit, get out of here!" Naruto aimed his gun at the rest of the men and opened fire. The Chinese spun to the left and right of the doors taking cover behind the concrete walls and out of Naruto's sight.

Just as Naruto finally found his feet and raced to the front desk, Sasuke slowly backed up, sticking to the far lobby wall and keeping Naruto in his peripheral. He watched him hop over the desk to get to the triggers just under the counter.

"No! Don't!" Sasuke shouted at him. "Don't panic! Stick to the plan!"

"Are you fucking kidding? They're packing serious heat!" Naruto called to him.

"Just wait," Sasuke said.

Darting his eyes from Sasuke to the door, Naruto marveled at the Uchiha's calm but the speed at which Sasuke was moving away from the lobby door infuriated him.

"Goddammit Sasuke if you don't get the fuck outta there and take cover I'm gonna come and grab you the fuck outta the way!"

"Just… wait." Sasuke's voice remained even; his eyes and his ears at full attention. "I think it's alr -"

Just then the Chinese men came into view. Two on one side and the third from the other.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled and three shots went off.

But Sasuke hadn't fired and neither had the Chinese.

"What in -" Naruto watched as all three men, now bleeding from their chests, crumpled to the sidewalk, revealing Kakashi behind the two on the right and Tenten directly behind the man on the left.

"Quick, grab the bodies!" Kakashi motioned to Sasuke and Naruto again jumped over the lobby desk.

"We'll toss them behind the counter and in the elevator. The cops will find them after we've gone." Kakashi jerked his head for Naruto to give him a hand. "Cover the door," he said to Sasuke and began to drag the Chinamen toward the elevator with Tenten dragging another one right behind him.

"Will this bring the cops before we're ready?" Naruto leaned the body he had pulled along the floor, behind the front desk and up against wall. His stomach turned at the sight. Back in that alleyway, he and Gaara never intended to kill the street gang.

"Can't say," Kakashi answered. "Your friends are working on the perimeter and setting up the blockade but if someone's called the cops over the gunfire, we could have only minutes to set the trap."

Naruto leaned down and closed the open eyes of the dead body. He looked up and saw Sasuke watching him.

Sasuke's eyes softened at his lover. "It all ends tonight."

"Good," Naruto said back and then blinked. "Wait," Naruto turned to Kakashi, "What do you mean my friends are working on the perimeter? Once the first phase and the drop were done that was it for them. Where's Kiba?" Naruto turned back to Sasuke. "What the fuck happened to the plan?"

"Naruto, calm down," Kakashi said and closed the elevator gate, leaving the other two bodies inside. "Kiba's with Shikamaru and the others. The drop went smooth and when they found out I was coming here, they insisted on helping."

Sasuke had gotten a hold of several flower pots and vases and motioned to Tenten. "Grab those other two and come with me," he said.

Naruto glanced him and then brought his attention back to Kakashi. "They were supposed to be kept far away from every -"

"Yes, well if they hadn't stepped in, I wouldn't have shown up in time," Kakashi said to Naruto and then looked over at Sasuke and Tenten and then back at Naruto. "Come on. Grab the broom next to the coat check."

"What the fuck happened?"

Everyone's attention turned to the hotel entrance where Genma was standing in the middle of all the glass and blood looking down, mouth open and eyes wide.

Sasuke and Tenten came up and having already rid the vases of their flowers and plants, dumped the water from them to try and wash away the pools of blood.

"Another hit," Tenten said.

"I told you to take the night off. We're already closed," Sasuke said and walked to the stunned man. "Go home Genma."

"The wires are buzzing, Sasuke," Genma said. "Madara's men are bucking for the state line. All of 'em are on the run and even the cops are after him."

"What do you mean, _even the cops?"_ Sasuke stepped closer.

"A buddy of mine has one of them new fangled one-way police radios," Genma said. "They got an all points on _Madara Uchiha."_

"Why would they issue an APB for a few warehouses catching fire?" Kakashi asked.

"The drop," Sasuke said to the silver-haired man. "Someone at the Times leaked it. The cops know their names will be on the front page of the Saturday morning paper."

"Is that what the drop was about?" Kakashi asked.

"Konan's records and the accounting books Gaara lifted," Sasuke said. "With all the money Madara had tied up in his warehouses and the now lost opium shipment, it looks like his connections have dried up." Sasuke turned to Naruto. "Just like Konan said."

Naruto looked back at him. " _First you take away his wealth and when he has no more grease to give the wheels…"_

"...you go after the man," Sasuke finished.

"So they're gonna collar him before morning," Naruto said.

"They're going to _try,"_ Sasuke said and turned back to Genma.

"Just because I never got the Uchiha mark doesn't mean I'm not part of this crew." Genma chewed on his toothpick. "I'm not leaving."

Kakashi and Naruto exchanged a look and waited for Sasuke's decision.

"Fine." Sasuke handed Genma the large planter in his hands. "Clean up as much as you can. Anybody comes by, tell them Officer…" Sasuke looked back to Kakashi.

"O'Connor," Kakashi offered up.

"Officer O'Connor is already here and taking my statement in the box office. If they insist on coming in, send them in," Sasuke said.

"Got it." Genma turned to get to work then turned back. "I was hoping someone would take that bastard out one day. Whatever you need, I'm here."

"You know what to do if the lobby is breached?"

"Trip the wires," Genma answered.

Sasuke handed him the Tommy and then turned to the others. "Phase two. Let's go."

* * *

"The boys know once the heat gets too hot, they cut and run, right?" Shikamaru's eyes scanned the dark neighborhood.

"I told em Shika, but you know Billy," Shino answered.

"Said he was gonna run naked through the hydrants before he'd let the coppers round the block," Choji said half laughing as he munched on a licorice whip.

"Keep it down guys. Keebs, how's the hot wire coming?" Shika glanced down the dark alley at their back. It was nearing 3am but that didn't mean they could be careless. Lord knows there were plenty of busy bodies who spent their lives monitoring the borough from tenement windows.

"Almost there," Kiba mumbled low.

"Kakashi should be back any minute," Shika said.

"Yeah-yeah I got it." Kiba squinted at the wires in his hands and smiled. "Like candy from a baby," he said as the engine of an old beat up Brockway pickup puttered to life.

* * *

When Tenten bolted through the stage door yelling for the guys to hold their positions, Gaara almost jumped from VIP to get to Naruto. The gunshots that had boomed from the hotel lobby throughout the now empty nightclub had sent chills through him.

It was too soon. The roadblocks couldn't possibly be in place already. _Shit!_ His mind screamed and his thoughts immediately went from Naruto to Sakura. There was a slight ease in his chest at the memory of her leaving in Shisui and Yamato's care.

 _But why aren't they back yet?_

Gaara hated this. Staying put while Naruto was facing gunfire and Sakura was beyond his sights, ate at him. On the street, the rules of their borough playground had been made by him and Naruto. It had been their turf where they could out-maneuver and out scam most anyone. But here in the club, in the world of the Uchiha, their backs were to the wall. Playing sitting duck being their only good chance at getting the upper hand.

When he had walked Sakura to Yamato's waiting car, he told her he would stop by before they boarded the rails and she smiled at him. At the time, he could've sworn goodbye was already peering back in her green eyes and it had hurt him. His bones ached to ask her then and there, but with the club finally closed and the danger dialed up and beyond his control, he was forced to fight back the urge and instead stay silent.

Now alone in the VIP balcony, Gaara took in an uneasy breath. There was no guarantee he'd survive the night. There was no guarantee any of them would survive and despite telling Naruto he would ask Sakura before the club closed, he couldn't bring himself to make yet another promise to her that he might not be able to keep. This time he was going to get it right.

"Ten, the side door!" Sasuke burst through the club entrance with Tenten and Naruto behind him and Gaara let out a heavy breath.

"And where the fuck are Yamato and Shisui?" Sasuke shouted.

Ten raced down the stairs for the stage door and Sasuke shot a look back at Naruto. They then both turned to the VIP and saw Gaara staring back at them.

"What about Sakura?" Gaara's voice chilled the skin of all the men in the club. Sas and Sai kept their eyes up, darting from Sasuke to Gaara.

"We would've heard something by now," Naruto said. "She's safe, Gaara. We know she's in good hands."

There was no sound in the club as they all waited for the redhead to react.

"Naruto." Sasuke turned and stepped closer to Naruto. "Maybe we should let Gaara go che -"

"No."

Everyone brought their attention back to Gaara.

"You're right," he called to them from the other balcony. "I'm sure she made it to Ino's just fine. Phase two."

Sasuke threw a look to Naruto and they both headed downstairs.

"Did Kakashi show?" Sasori asked.

"Yeah and just in time to rid us of some uninvited guests," Naruto answered. "Then he took off to help with the roadblocks."

"Who opened fire?" Sai moved up and stood next to Sasori.

"Some guys me and Gaara had a run in with a while back. They showed up lookin' to even the score and almost monkey wrenched the whole plan. We uh…" Naruto swallowed down his words and looked up at Gaara. "We took care of 'em."

"They're dead?" Gaara looked down at Naruto.

"Yeah."

"And Genma's keeping an eye on the lobby," Sasuke cut in.

"No shit!" Sasori said. "Never would'a guessed that fucker had it in him."

"Yeah, there's a lot of that going around tonight." Naruto moved away from them. "Sasuke." He jerked his head to the side motioning to the box office.

"Right," Sasuke answered. "Everyone to their posts. All the commotion could bring the cops sooner than planned."

Suddenly more shots rang out from the hotel lobby and everyone whipped their attention to the club entrance doors.

"Move!" Naruto shouted. "Shit! Genma!"

"It's too late, stick to the plan," Sasuke said as he pushed Naruto toward the box office.

"But without Yamato and Shisui, who's gonna trip the wire?"

Sasuke clenched his jaw and shoved Naruto toward the door while the rest of this men took their positions.

One last glance back at Gaara up in the balcony was all Naruto had time for. For a split second, they caught each other's eyes then Sasuke slammed the door shut and he was gone.

* * *

"Japanese only," Kakashi said low. "Got it?"

Choji, Shikamaru and Shino all turned and looked at Kiba.

"Holy christ! Ya think I'm gonna fuck it all up?" Kiba's mouth hung open.

" _Not screaming at us in English might make us reconsider,"_ Shika said to him in Japanese and Kiba snapped his trap shut.

Just then, three police cars rounded the street corner and pulled up, their headlights blanketing the near pitch black street and Kakashi turned, leaving the guys to go greet them.

"Just what the hell are these kids pulling here, Koyashi? The whole fucking street is blocked and that hydrant is flooding the goddamn neighborhood! We gotta get 'round this now!"

Kakashi fought the urge to sigh at Officer Briggton's mispronunciation of his name. Again.

"The large delivery truck over there," Kakashi pointed out, "Sideswiped the old Brockway and took out the fire hydrant on the corner." Kakashi pushed his hands into his pockets. "These boys saw the whole thing and I came up on them just as both the drivers jumped the scene."

"And why would the drivers do that?" The cop pushed back his cap, placed both his hands on this hips and stared hard at Kakashi.

"I don't know about the Brockway but the delivery truck is loaded with fur coats, ladies handbags and about 10 crates of high end costume jewelry," Kakashi answered.

"The Lexington Avenue heist!" One of the other cops said.

"And these kids can make the driver?"

"Well, they only speak Japanese," Kakashi said. "So it's been... a little difficult. They're all pretty shaken up."

"Frank, if we can break this case, we could be looking at promotions! Maybe even our names in the paper."

"Stop flapping your gums," Briggton said and stepped closer to Kakashi but still keeping an eye on the kids. "Can you get 'em to talk?"

"It might take some prodding but I think I can get a statement," Kakashi said.

"Alright," the lead cop said and turned back to the other three. "You fellas get back in your rides and head back the way we came. Take the long way 'round and get over to Tokyo Palace."

"What? No way, Briggs. I think we all should hear these kids out first. I ain't passing up a shot at Sergeant just to check on a shots fired call."

"And what if Madara's hiding out at The Palace, huh Mickey? If we don't nail that bastard before the rag hits the streets there'll be no promotions for anyone, Lexington heist or not."

" _Now,"_ Shikamaru whispered and Choji, Kiba and Shino started hollering and jabbering away in Japanese, yelling over one another at Kakashi and the cops.

"What the hell are they saying, Kayokishi?"

" _You smell like a hobo fucked a dead fish!"_

" _Suck my fat one!"_

" _Hey fat fuck, how do you fit your fat ass inside your car!"_

"Hey! Hey!" Briggton shouted at the street kids. "Quiet down! It's near 4am! Koyokshi what the hell's gotten into them?"

"Uh, not sure," Kakashi turned around at the guys and scratched his head. "It's hard to make it out with all of them yelling at once but I think they're saying something about a gun and the bridge."

"The driver had a gun and ran for the Brooklyn Bridge?" Briggton asked.

Shika and the guys continued their rapid, loud insults and in mid shout, Kiba grabbed his junk and yanked hard on front of his cords.

" _Hey dickless! Bet'cha can't find your dick with two hands and a light!"_

"Hey, you! What'r you doing there?" Briggton pointed at the rude gesture and Kakashi shot a look at Kiba.

"I uh, I think he said he needs to use the bathroom," Kakashi said. "We've been here for a while, sir."

Shika shot a punch into Kiba's arm and the guys quieted as all three cops approached them.

"Alright, alright. Let's do this one at a time." Office Briggton had no sooner said these words when all three police squad car engines roared to life.

"HEY!" The cops hitched their trousers and made a mad dash back to their units, clumsily tangling up in each others way while fumbling for their pistols but it was too late. All three cop cars peeled to left or right, tires spinning as they squealed and kicked up dirt.

Kakashi made a half-hearted attempt at rushing the cars along with the other officers and caught glimpses of undercover cherubs sitting in the driver seats. Three separate grime-laced grins peeked out from under grey colored flat caps. One by one they drove off in the cop cars, grinning at the police officer's screams to stop.

Kakashi looked back to where Shikamaru and the guys were, only to catch a final glimpse of Choji as he and the rest disappeared around the block.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Kakashi yelled out.

"What the fuck is going here, Koyoshi!"

But Kakashi didn't turn around. "I'll get them back!" He called out and took off after Naruto's friends.

"Kayashiki!"

The foul mispronunciation of his name bounded throughout the deserted neighborhood making Kakashi grimace but not slow his pace.

* * *

Once the box office door shut, Gaara hunkered down in VIP and double-checked the bullets in his piece. He had a backup revolver in his holster but before he could reach for it, the club doors busted open and two men sauntered through them, both grinning and armed with a pistol in each hand. His eyes scanned the men, searching out their clothing, their manners, their gait; his eyes slowing to take in the large knife one of them had hitched to his hip.

" _Fuck,"_ Gaara whispered. The mugshots he'd seen in the papers flashed behind his eyes and recognition of the men in front of him was instant. He looked from the hitmen down to the floor searching for his crew. Sai and Sasori were already out of sight and as he darted his eyes from the club floor and back to who he assumed were Hidan and Zetsu. He saw them motioning to each other, possibly discussing a plan of attack but no sight of his crew.

Off in the distance somewhere, Gaara heard the expected police sirens. He waited and noticed the hitmen had paused as well, but then the piercing wails began to fade. His mind raced. _Kakashi._ It had to be. He pulled it off.

"Oh c'mon out!" Shouted the one with the gray slicked-back hair. Gaara stilled and held his position. He peeked out from the back corner of the balcony wall.

"I think they're afraid of us," said the pasty looking one with dead black eyes.

Gaara watched as the two stood focused, scanning the floor below.

"I think we need to get their attention," said the pasty one.

"Hey hey, we shouldn't waste shots, the cops are on their way," said the other.

Gaara flicked his eyes to floor, back up, then down again, over and over searching for any sign of Sas or Sai.

"The tables." The pasty hitman pointed both his weapons down and in an instant gunfire began to rain from the entrance balcony.

Gaara ducked low and slid into the corner. The shots screamed throughout the club and just when he wondered how many more bullets the two men had left, the firing ceased. He scrambled back to the railing and peeked out.

Both men were reloading their firearms.

Gaara saw that each man had two more pistols each in their holsters. _A gun for each hand and two more to spare._ "Shit," Gaara breathed out and quickly slid down. He pulled both his pieces out and released the safeties. He supposed he should be grateful neither of the men had a Tommy but with still no sign of Sai or Sasori below and Naruto locked in the office with Sasuke, he knew he'd have to hold off the professionals the best he could and for as long as he could.

He filled his lungs and turned back to the railing.

"Take the right, Hidan," said the oddly white skinned one and Gaara watched the other man inch closer to the staircase that led to the stage.

Something flickered from the floor below pulling Gaara's attention from the hitmen to directly underneath the balcony. The untouched tables where the shooters hadn't been able to reach, Gaara caught the movement of one of the tablecloths blowing and shifting in the breezeless club.

The corner of his mouth lifted. Sas and Sai had managed to work their way out of the firestorm to the tables under the entrance balcony. Safely out of range from the gunfire.

Readying himself, Gaara figured engaging now might push the men down the stairs faster allowing him to keep his vantage point but before he could get to his feet, Sai emerged from under one of the tables and started firing straight up into the balcony above him.

"Fuck! Zetsu, under us!" The one named Hidan shouted out as he dove toward the stairs.

Zetsu moved back into the club doorway and reached inside his long coat and behind his back.

Gaara's eyes locked onto the shotgun the Zetsu guy brought. How had he not seen it? Gaara raised his guns and jumped to his feet.

"Sai, shotgun!" Gaara yelled and opened fire, one gun on the man with the shotgun and the other trained on Hidan whose face erupted into a dark grin at the sight of Gaara revealing his position.

Had Sai been a second slower, the blast that now peppered the balcony floor above him, would've caught him. Instead, he was able to throw himself to the far right and tumble just outside the spray of bullets.

Completely ignoring Gaara's shots, Zetsu fired into the floor. He ducked and bobbed and weaved his way through the gunfire.

Laughter poured from Hidan as he faced off with Gaara. He moved back up the stairs and into the balcony so he could give his partner better cover.

"Now we're having some fun!" Hidan bellowed just as more shots opened up, this time coming from the corner of the club at the kitchen door. "Hey hey! No fair!" Hidan called out and Gaara saw him aim one of his guns to where Sasori had positioned himself just inside the kitchen door.

Gaara dropped to his knees and frantically began to reload.

More laughter filled the club mingling with the gunfire until both Hidan and Zetsu crouched down low and out of sight. With Zetsu's shotgun finally spent, Gaara could only guess the two guys were reloading.

"I hope you fellas ain't waiting for that sweet brunette dish to join our little game!" A voice called out.

A sharp dread knifed its way through Gaara's stomach.

"We introduced ourselves to her but I don't think she appreciated our company," said the other man's voice.

"But hey, we can still have some fun, right?"

Flicking his wrist, Gaara snapped the barrel of the revolver shut and got to his feet. Both hitmen were still crouched low but he aimed at the railing across just the same. As soon as he glimpsed dirty grey hair, Gaara fired.

"SONOFABITCH! YOU ASSHOLE!"

Gaara dropped back down.

"You're really pissing me off, you fucking bastard!" The guy screamed. The other man was laughing and Gaara peeked out to see what damage his shot caused.

"Shut the fuck up, Zetsu or I'll pump ya full of lead myself!"

The two men stood up and immediately unloaded their handguns into the VIP balcony. Gaara dropped and shoved himself as far away from the balcony rail as he could and pushed his body into the far corner.

He could hear Sasori and Sai returning fire but couldn't risk exposing his position to help. Wood chips and chunks of plaster filled the air around him and Gaara blinked trying to keep his eyes clear of the shootout debris.

* * *

The hotel lobby was quiet when Genma opened his eyes. The room was blurry. When he tried to take a breath to clear his mind, the pressure was unbearable.

 _I can hardly breathe._

Pain wracked his stomach and limbs and Genma looked down to see what the cause was.

Blood was everywhere.

Suddenly gunshots were booming out and he flinched, scanning the area, looking for where his attackers were coming from.

 _Not here… inside the club._

Genma turned his head to the club doors and saw they were shut.

 _The gunfire's coming from inside the club._

He turned his head back and saw he was only a few feet from the front desk.

 _The trigger. I... gotta… trig..._

The pain screamed through him. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to use his legs to push himself across the floor. His left leg wouldn't budge.

" _Fuck."_

More shots pierced through the eerie quiet of the lobby and Genma bit down on his lip as he forced his right leg to obey. Inch by excruciating inch, he pushed and clawed along the cold hotel floor, gasping and grunting incomprehensible curses and prayers.

His short shallow breaths were now thinning and he coughed up blood as his lungs fought for air. Another push and he was there.

Genma looked up at the front desk counter and to the small lever just underneath the telephone and directly above his head… and smiled.

* * *

The bullets above Gaara's head ceased. He readied himself to return fire when an explosion rocked through the club. The entrance doors were blown out sending wood and brass shrapnel straight at the hitmen forcing them to jump the railings and crash to the tables below. The walls and ceiling shook and cracked sending chunks of plaster and the large chandelier plummeting.

Barely unfazed by the fall, the two hitmen pulled themselves up and stood back to back, keeping Gaara, Sas and Sai on the defensive.

"Got something for ya, pretty boy," the pasty one named, Zetsu said and dropped the now emptied pistol in his right hand and raised the shotgun still gripped in his left to where Sai had positioned himself behind a fallen table.

"Sai!" Sasori yelled out but Hidan out-screamed him in delicious excitement and shot at the kitchen door, pushing Sasori back into the kitchen.

Gaara stood and aimed for Zetsu just as the man blew out the table Sai was using for cover.

"Sai!" Sasori screamed again.

Gaara's shot hit Zetsu's shoulder and Hidan raised his left hand and let two rounds fly to where Gaara now stood fully exposed and one of the shots grazed his cheekbone.

"Fuck!" Gaara cried out.

"Payback for my ear, you fucking bastard!"

Gaara fell back and used his sleeve to wipe at the blood now spilling down his cheek. The pain and raging ache inside his head would have to wait. Dropping onto his stomach he crawled to the staircase hoping to get a better view of Sai's location. Slowly, he scanned the floor where he last saw him and noticed Hidan standing with both guns trained on the balcony searching for Gaara.

Gaara looked again for Sai and swallowed hard as his eyes settled on the dark red tears of splatter that were inching down the far wall.

" _Sai,"_ he whispered.

"Oh what a shame," Zetsu called out and fired another blast at the kitchen door where Sasori was still taking cover. "One down! Who wants to play next?"

Gaara pulled his eyes from the evidence of Sai's demise to where Zetsu stood with his back to him. He watched as the hitman laid the now empty shotgun on a nearby chair and then reach into his jacket for his other piece. The Hidan guy was still scanning the balcony for Gaara, not yet seeing him hunkered low near the top of the stairs.

Gaara brought his gun up, careful to make his movements slow, knowing Hidan would easily pick out any sudden twitch or shift of his body. There would only be one chance. Once he got off a round, his position would be revealed and Hidan would come at him; both barrels blazing.

With his gun now moving closer to the edge of the landing, Gaara aimed between the metal bars and for the back of the pasty fucker's head.

"Gotcha," he said to no one just as the kitchen door busted open and Sasori came barreling through.

"SAI!" Sasori screamed, opening fire at Zetsu. "GET THE FUCK UP SAI! SAI!"

Gaara pulled his trigger but the hitman had moved to return fire at Sasori. Gaara missed the head shot but sent a bullet through his right arm causing Zetsu to drop one of the guns he had pointed at Sas.

"I see you, asshole!" Hidan opened fire on Gaara. A few of the shots ricocheted off the metal stairs, giving Gaara an extra second to hold his aim and send three shots back, making Hidan reverse before sinking low behind one of the tables.

Sasori never slowed. After he emptied one gun, he tossed it and pulled another from his holster still firing at Zetsu who in turn emptied the last of his rounds into Sasori.

Gaara watched as both men's bodies wildly jerked as if from invisible strings yanking their bodies in mindless directions as bullets ripped through arm after leg and chest, til both fell to their knees bloody and gasping; Sasori dropping just a few feet from the pale man named Zetsu and grinning maniacally through his blood stained teeth.

"For Sai," Gaara heard Sasori say as the moody redhead dragged his bullet-riddled arm up and fired one last shot into the face of the hitman. Both men dropped to the ground from the force of the blast.

"Zetsu you bastard! I knew you'd end up pissing me off." Hidan stood up and sent several shots at Gaara. The bullets hit the ledge of the balcony sending more debris flying and Gaara had to push back and roll out of Hidan's line of sight.

 _Where the fuck were Shisui and Yamato!_ The pit of Gaara's stomach wrenched as his mind raced through scenarios involving Sakura and her two bodyguards. They were running out of time.

"Hey c'mon out you bastard and get what's coming to ya!"

Gaara closed his eyes, breathed deep and grabbed at his box of ammunition. He snapped the last pistol shut when a deep _bang_ echoed through the club.

" _Olly olly oxen freeee!"_ A new voice sing-songed from somewhere down below.

Screaming laughter bellowed from Hidan and the sound rose up chilling Gaara's skin. Despite being in his first deadly shootout and witnessing the deaths of his crew members, the new voice and laughter coming from the nightclub floor gave Gaara his first real taste of fear.

"C'mon out ya fucking asshole!" Hidan's voice called out. "We got a surprise for ya!"

 _We._ The loud banging sound must have been the stage door. A new player had entered the club leaving only Gaara against two. With anxiety building, he willed his legs to take him closer to the railing.

"Maybe I should have her sing you a song to get you to come out!" The new voice shouted and all the blood drained from Gaara's face.

More laughter. "C'mon sweetheart, sing for your lover man."

" _No…"_ Gaara whispered. _Please._

He reached out his hand and yanked himself closer to the railing; eyes squeezed shut and his heart pounding.

With the dust from the shootout still sifting through the blown out nightclub, Gaara blinked his eyes open. Every muscle in his body tensed as looked down to see the bruised and bloodied face of Sakura being forced up at him.

"I don't see why you like this bitch!" Shouted the man whose fingers were digging into her chin. "The men said she tasted like honey but she looks like nothing more than trash to me."

Gaara pulled his eyes from Sakura and settled on the man who held her hostage. _Obito._ He had her face in a death grip while his other hand held a gun steadily at her head.

"Fuck. You." Sakura's voice floated up to where Gaara was now slowly getting to his feet, earning her a pistol whip to the head. Her knees buckled and Obito fisted her hair and pulled her back up.

"Ah! _Fuck you!"_ Sakura screamed.

"OBITO ENOUGH!" Gaara yelled down at them.

Hidan had his guns on Gaara. "Don't fucking move, cocksucker!"

"Stand up, bitch! I'm nowhere near done with you." Again, Obito yanked Sakura up.

The stage door slammed open again but this time Yamato and Shisui skidded through. Obito backed up, turning with Sakura in tow, keeping them and Gaara in his peripheral.

"Uh-uh." Obito glanced from Shisui and Yamato back to Gaara. "Don't try to be fucking heroes," he said and pressed the barrel of his gun harder into Sakura's temple.

Hidan left one of his guns trained on Gaara and moved his other onto the new interlopers.

"Let her go." Gaara gripped the railing, his mind scouring what to do next. _What to do?_

Obito pulled Sakura with him as he edged back. Still grinning, he darted his eyes to from his adversaries. "Like what you see? Got a good view of your songbird?"

"Gaara." Sakura looked up at him.

"That's right, bitch. Sing." Obito pulled Sakura's hair tighter and ran his tongue across her cheek, laughing.

Simultaneously, Gaara, Yamato and Shisui moved forward, bringing up their pistols but Hidan got two shots off, one at the feet of the new players and the other just past Gaara's position.

"Uh-uh-uh," called Hidan.

Gaara's eyes fixed on Obito's hold of Sakura and watched her wince from the pain.

"You want your bitch? Bring me Sasuke and his blond whore," Obito sneered.

Yamato and Kakashi both looked to Gaara but the redhead held his ground. It was Sakura's state he was locked onto. Every bruise, each spot of blood and cut he memorized, letting the knowledge of the torment she had endured burn through him. Wrath and guilt flooded his senses.

"Still so loyal?" Obito shook his head. "I guess I'll just have to test who you love more. Your bitch or your boss."

Obito cocked his gun.

"Wait!"

"Stop!"

Hidan cocked both his revolvers at the men who were now raising their arms in the air trying to show their harmless intent when the box office door burst open.

Everyone except Gaara glanced to where Naruto and Sasuke emerged from the box office.

"Let her go, Obito," Sasuke said then placed his hand on Naruto's arm, slowing him so he could step past and closer to the bar. With a whiskey bottle in is hand, Sasuke took his usual place behind the large mahogany bar and placed the booze on top of it.

"My business is with you and your whore." The sadistic humor left Obito's eyes. "Tell them to drop their weapons and leave. NOW!" Obito's voice thundered making Sakura jump and squeeze her eyes shut.

"Gaara," Sasuke said, not taking his eyes off of Obito. "Leave us and take Shisui and Yamato with you."

"Your weapons, assholes!" Hidan shouted and Shisui and Yamato pulled out their holstered spared. They both lowered their guns and then dropped them to the floor.

"No." Gaara's eyes stayed locked with Sakura's.

"Eeh?" Hidan fired one of his guns at Yamato. Shisui's reflexes answered by shoving Yamato out of the way, causing the bullet to only graze Shisui's hip. Both men tumbled to the floor.

"Goddammit! Stop!" Naruto screamed. "Gaara!"

Shisui grimaced from the pain but said nothing. Yamato quickly grabbed hold of him and began to get up, pulling Shisui with him.

"Don't worry." Obito looked up at Gaara. "I have no interest in this used up bitch. I'll let her go once I'm done." He gripped his hostage tighter but Gaara stayed still.

"Gaara, please," Sasuke said low and the redhead finally moved.

Naruto watched his best friend back away from the balcony and head down the stairs, the gun in his hand hanging lazily at his side. He followed Gaara's gaze and inwardly winced at the condition of his other childhood friend. The sight of Sakura had been a shock to his system the moment he came out the office but he had forced himself to look away. Now there was no avoiding the suffering she had endured. She wore the torture on her face as well as her clothing. Naruto's blood begin to boil.

"Easy," Sasuke said. The rage pumping off Naruto was nearly visible and he shifted his body slightly toward him.

"Listen to your boss, loverboy," Hidan said and took a step back, widening his arms so his weapons included the blond as well as the others.

Gaara approached the men on the club floor. Sakura held his gaze and then lowered her eyes.

"You can drop your guns right where you are," Obito said and moved back, keeping Sakura out of Gaara's reach.

There was a moment where Gaara nearly reconsidered. He could easily knock Obito's weapon out of his hands with his blade. But would Obito get off a shot first? Would the hitman take out Naruto and the rest before he had a chance to grab Sakura? Each action and reaction, every variable ran through his mind until he slowly dropped one weapon and then reached for the other in his holster.

"My, my, my. If looks could kill," Obito sneered and jerked his chin at Gaara's other hand. "Drop it and get out."

Gaara let his other pistol slip from his hand. "This isn't over."

Obito grinned and leaned in close to Sakura. "Say goodbye, bitch," he whispered into her ear.

"Fuck you," Sakura said refusing to look at Gaara.

Obito laughed. "You don't seem to get it." He aimed his gun at Gaara. "Tell him to leave or he dies right here."

"No!" Sakura yelled.

"He's leaving! They all are!" Naruto took a step forward. "Gaara!"

Finally Sakura raised her eyes. "Go Garra. It'll be alright."

"Let's go." Yamato was still helping Shisui up. "We'll wait for them outside. There's no way for them to escape the club."

"That's right!" Obito smiled. "You might get another crack at me loverboy so why don't you go wait outside."

"Gaara." Yamato jerked his chin toward the stage door. He and Shisui led the way and at a much slower pace, Gaara followed them.

One last look back at Sakura was all he gave. This time she didn't turn away but held his eyes to hers.

Obito sneered. "I told you. You should've said goodbye," he told her after Gaara the door shut behind them.

"Now you two," Hidan kept his place, not fully turning his back on the door where Sasuke's men had left. "Drop the weapons you're holding."

Naruto tossed the gun in his hand and pulled his other from his holster. Sasuke stayed behind the bar but set both pistols he had on top of the bar.

A slow smirk came to Obito's face. "Do you really think you're smarter than me, _cousin?"_ Obito let go of his strangle hold on Sakura and backhanded her with a closed fist. Her eyes rolled back and just before she crumpled unconscious to the ground, Obito again grabbed her by the hair and flung her backward into broken tables and debris from the earlier explosion.

"Sakura!" Naruto, finally fed up charged forward.

Hidan fired but Naruto ducked and grabbed a nearby chair. Sasuke used the distraction to pick up one of his guns with one hand and reach under the bar with his other. Obito spun around and fired at Sasuke just as Naruto flung the chair at Hidan. One of Hidan's shots clipped Naruto's waist before the hitman was clobbered by the airborne furniture. The chair knocked one of his guns away and sent him off balance. Naruto saw his chance.

Sasuke was still taking cover behind the bar listening as Obito emptied his weapon into the dark mahogany wood.

 _Six._

Without hesitation, Sasuke stood and fired back at Obito and forced his cousin to take cover behind a table. He barely noticed Naruto diving over another table and tackling Hidan, causing the hitman to fire wildly as he was thrown back by the force of Naruto.

Obito grabbed one of the discarded pistols from the floor and fired at Naruto where he and Hidan were exchanging punches but his attempt was quickly thwarted as Sasuke again opened fire.

The pain from Naruto's waist felt far away. He had managed to blitz the damn hitman but as they crashed to the floor, the greasy haired asshole got lucky and landed on his ass leaving Naruto almost face down and taking body blows from Hidan. Without thinking, Naruto reached up and pulled a nearby table down on them both, giving him a few seconds to roll off the hitman while Hidan shook off the blow to his head from the hit he took from the table.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke grabbed the other weapon from the bar and aimed at the VIP balcony. Just under the railing at the top of one of the support beams was one of Sasori's rigs. Sasuke fired and another explosion rocked The Tokyo Palace nightclub.

The wood beam shattered and the balcony collapsed. Tables and chairs fell from above. Sasuke did his best to shield himself from the blast. Then he jumped the bar, gun in one hand and his katana in the other. Naruto had been trying to get to his feet when the force of the blast pushed him back down.

"Got'cha motherfucker."

Naruto turned back and a blinding pain tore into his face. The dynamite blast hadn't fazed Hidan at all. Hidan pulled back for another punch but Naruto, now having found his footing, faced him.

The hitman swung and Naruto easily dodged it and countered with a high right kick, landing his boot across the assholes face.

"You fucking bast-"

Naruto hooked a left and caught Hidan in chin but the man easily regrouped and blocked Naruto's next punch and then grabbed at Naruto's throat. But Naruto spun to his right and moved out of his reach. He crouched and swept Hidan's his right leg as he came back around. The hitman jumped it and swung downward at him but Naruto caught the punch his left and brought his right palm straight up, breaking Hidan's arm upward at the elbow.

"AAGH! YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE! AAGG GONNA RIP YOUR DICK OFF AND SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR THROAT MOTHERFUCKER!" Still screaming, Hidan pulled free of Naruto and yanked a large machete out from underneath his jacket. With his right arm dangling grotesquely at his side, Hidan swung the blade wide causing Naruto to jump back and lose his balance, tripping over the collapsed chandelier at his feet.

Sasuke had been advancing on Obito's position, firing as he went. Obito returned his shots and scampered from the broken table to the busted up railings from the balcony in constant search of better cover. From where he was, Sasuke watched Naruto fall backwards and Hidan raise a huge knife over his head.

Sasuke aimed and fired. Instantly, Hidan's throat begin spurt blood. He dropped the knife in his hand and grabbed at his neck.

"I'm your opponent asshole." Obito fired from his cloaked position and nicked Sasuke's forearm.

But Sasuke barely flinched at the wound. High on adrenaline, he brought his gun back to where Obito was hiding and fired his last round at him. The shot missed and Sasuke threw the empty weapon aside and brought his katana up; moving confidently in large strides toward his cousin.

Seeing his chance, Obito got to his feet and bolted.

"Madara was a coward to send you instead of facing me himself!" Sasuke went after him. "And now here you are running from me!"

"I'm not running away, asshole!" Just as Obito reached the staircase, he turned and shot at the ceiling above Sasuke bringing a hanging beam down on top of him.

"Sasuke!" Naruto was already up and running when Obito fired. He jumped the rest of the distance, catching Sasuke by his shirt collar and dragging him down with him. The ceiling collapsed around them but Naruto managed to save Sasuke from being crushed from the fallen beam.

Again, Obito made for the stairs while Naruto and Sasuke recovered and regained their footing.

"There's no time, find Sakura," Sasuke said to Naruto and then went to go after Obito. He got two steps before more shots suddenly rang throughout the club. "Get down!" He shouted.

Up in the entrance balcony, Obito now had the vantage point and fired another round at Sasuke forcing him to duck behind some of the wreckage.

"There'll be no escape for you two or that pink haired whore!" Obito pulled another pistol from his waistband. "With you dies any proof of the murders."

"You can't protect Madara." Sasuke said to him while doing his best to edge behind the pieces of rubble. With Obito in the balcony, there was no good cover. "The Feds already know about the missing girls and it's only a matter of time before the story hits the papers."

A low rolling laughter filled the club. "Is that so?" Obito grinned and took a another shot at Sasuke, again pushing the gangster back to avoid being hit. "Uncle was right about you, cousin. You're not as smart as you think you are."

Crouched near Sasuke, Naruto scanned the floor. A flash of pink hair was only a few feet away. He inched closer to her, hoping to slide down low and use the busted up debris at cover.

A bullet _whizzed_ by his face and Naruto dropped back down.

"Neither one of you will be leaving," Obito said down to them. "You can have my thanks by watching each other die."

"Thanks for what, asshole," Naruto said back and earned another round from Obito. This time the bullet went through his shoulder. "Agh!" Naruto screamed and fell back.

"Naruto!"

"I told you. You both die here." Obito aimed at Sasuke. "And my thanks is for passing along Madara's indiscretions to the authorities."

Sasuke stared hard at Obito, waiting for him to take his shot. "Have your eye on taking over the Uchiha?"

"Hardly," Obito said. "It took some effort setting up Madara. Following him to the brothels. Making sure he was plied with enough opium to render him useless and then paying to have the girls I hand picked for myself sent to him first." A dark grin grew across Obito's face. "He refused most of them but it didn't matter. After that, it was easy pickings. A few smiles and promises to rescue them, had every single one of those little girls willing to do anything for me."

"You sick sonofabitch," Sasuke said. "It was _you."_

"And it was _you_ who helped me get away with it." Obito pulled back the hammer of his revolver. "You can die knowing that," he said half laughing.

The pain in Naruto's shoulder screamed at him as he tried to move himself back toward Sasuke. _It can't end like this!_ Naruto was only a few feet from him. He could make it. "Sasuke!"

In his peripheral, Sasuke could see Naruto making his way to him probably intending to block Obito's bullet, but Sasuke's eyes didn't leave his cousin. His sight had always been eversharp and when he saw a shadow movement reflected on the ceiling above Obito, he knew someone else was on that balcony. Someone Obito wasn't aware of.

"Don't worry, loverboy! You'll be joining him soon en -" Obito's eyes went wide. " _Ack-ugh!"_ Mid-sentence, Obito began to cough and spit up blood as a large blade pushed its way through his chest from behind.

"Naruto." Sasuke stood up.

Frozen next to him, Naruto turned and watched Obito fall to his knees gasping and staring down at the katana now protruding from his torso. Obito's guns clattering to the floor was the only other sound in the club aside from the anguished grunts coming from the fallen Uchiha.

A dark cloaked figure moved in from behind Obito and both Sasuke and Naruto stilled as Hinata's face came into view.

She twisted the sword causing Obito to spasm and grab at the blade.

"I know what you did," she said, leaning down from behind; the side of her face pressed cruelly against his. "And I know what you are."

She twisted the blade again and Obito cried out in pain.

"Die knowing it was a woman who sent you to the hell you deserve." Hinata's words hung in the air as her other hand -wielding a sterling silver switchblade, came forward and slit open Obito's throat. The Uchiha's head fell back and blood poured out and around the wretched sounds of death. Hinata yanked her katana out of his body and stepped to the side as it sank to the floor.

Familiar wails of police sirens began to grow and fill the room. Hinata tossed her sword down to the rubble below and pulled her shoulders back. For a moment, her gaze burned at them while they could only stare back in disbelief. Then she turned, walked back through the blown out club doors and disappeared.

"Hinata!" Naruto went to go after her but Sasuke stopped him.

"Naruto!" Gaara came pushing through the stage door, gun in hand. "Where's Sakura?"

"Over here!" Naruto shook himself clear and went to meet his friend. "Where are the others?"

Gaara jumped over all the wreckage until he came to where Sakura lay on the floor. "I sent Yamato and Shisui for the truck," he said absentmindedly. "Kakashi and Ten are covering the rear… I was... listening and waiting at the door." Gaara bent down. "Sakura? Can you hear me?"

"We need to go," Sasuke said. "Now."

Naruto stopped next to Gaara. "Is she…"

"She's breathing," he said.

Relief washed over Naruto. "Wait? Tenten's alive?"

"I'm here," Gaara said quietly and took hold of Sakura's arm. He wrapped it around his neck and pulled her up.

"Gaara?" Green eyes opened. "You're okay! Gaara you have to get away!" Her breathless voice still struggling with awareness.

"It's alright. Obito's dead and we're leaving." He held her steady. "Can you walk?"

Sakura blinked. Eyes alert, she looked around. "Yeah. I'm alright."

"Naruto." There was no disguising the urgency in Sasuke's voice. "We're not in the clear yet."

"Yeah. Gaara, we gotta move." Naruto moved to take ahold of Sakura's other arm.

"I got her," Gaara said and helped her step clear of the fallen debris. "You take care of your shoulder."

Naruto was still holding onto his right shoulder. He had managed a quick tourniquet with a torn piece of tablecloth but the material was already blood-soaked. "I'll be fine," he said but Sasuke walked up to him anyway. Intense concern spread across his face.

"It'll be fine," he said to Sasuke. "Let's get out of here."

Keeping close to Naruto, Sasuke hurried after him toward the rear exit.

Naruto turned to Sasuke. "Do you think she got out okay?"

Sasuke didn't pretend not to know who Naruto meant. "She found her way in. I have a feeling she's safer than we are at the moment. We need to get to the truck."

"Gaara! Hurry!" Naruto called to back to him. He turned to where Sasori's body had fallen and then cast a look around the club trying to find Sai.

"We have to leave them," Sasuke said to him.

"I know," Naruto answered. "I just…"

A loud crash came from behind them and they turned to see Hidan rising from the rubble. He had one hand around his bloodied neck and the other was pointing a gun at Gaara and Sakura.

"Got'cha motherfucker."

Both Naruto and Gaara were already moving before the gunshot rang out; Naruto to try and push his friends out of the line of fire and Gaara reaching for the revolver tucked into his waistband. But neither were faster than Sakura who turned in Gaara's arms to face him, using her body as a shield from the gunfire.

"No!" Gaara returned fire and emptied his gun at Hidan. The hitman only smiled back as the bullets riddled his body and effectively returning him to the piles of wreckage on the destroyed nightclub floor.

"Sakura!" Naruto yelled.

Sakura's arm slid from Gaara's shoulders. Her body went limp and Gaara dropped his gun and gathered her up in his arms. He looked down and saw her already torn dress slowly turning red, as blood from her wound began to seep through the material.

"Gaara," was all the Pink Lady said before she closed her eyes.

"Quick! Get her to the truck! There's no time!" Naruto shouted.

Gaara stared down at Sakura's face. For a second, Naruto wasn't sure what his friend would do then the sound of the sirens snapped him back.

"Gaara!"

The redhead looked up and Naruto waved him toward the stage door. To Naruto's relief, Gaara quickly followed.

* * *

Outside The Tokyo Palace, black smoke filled the air. Naruto squinted his eyes and began to cough around the fumes. Out in front of the hotel, the police sirens wailed from the other side of the flames Naruto could see near the street and for the moment, was grateful the fire was blocking access to the rear lot.

"This way!" Kakashi took hold of Sasuke and handed him a large brown coat. "Go." He then turned to Naruto and pushed a flat cap into his hands. "Take this. Follow the ally. The truck is waiting."

"Help Gaara!" Naruto said to him and then turned to follow Sasuke.

Kakashi rushed over to Gaara. "Here." He pulled off his jacket and wrapped it tight around Sakura's waist to try and help stop the bleeding. "Now this way. Quickly."

Visibility was almost non-existent as Kakashi guided Gaara through the smoke filled Palace lot to the alleyways. One turn then another.

Out of nowhere appeared Tenten. "Duck through here!" She said and held back part of the fence that had been cut to allow them to escape.

"Go! I have to set off of the rig." Kakashi called out and then turned back the way he came.

"Hai!" She called out and continued on with Gaara.

Soon the smoke cleared and Gaara began to recognize his and Naruto's old throughways. "We're almost there," he said to Sakura and increased his pace.

A large explosion _boomed_ through the neighborhood and Gaara stopped and spun, looking to see where it came from.

"Go!" Kakashi came running toward them. Gaara turned and hurried after Tenten.

Farther up the narrow alley was the meat truck. The nearest streetlights had already been broken the day before to give them extra cover in the dark. Sunrise would soon render the added security measure meaningless but for now, they were all able to climb into the back of the getaway truck without attracting too much attention.

"Give her to me."

Gaara looked up and saw Sasuke poised inside the door at the rear the truck, holding out his arms. Sasuke leaned down and took Sakura from Gaara's arms and brought her into the truck. The brooding redhead climbed in after and seconds behind him, Kakashi.

Tenten rushed to get in after Kakashi but Sasuke stopped her. "Switch with Shisui up front. Tell him Sakura's been shot."

She nodded and moments later Shisui appeared and despite his wounded hip, jumped into the back with fluid ease. Tenten quickly closed and bolted the door behind him and a minute later, the sound of the engine turning over filled the truck.

"Will she be alright?" Naruto's voice was a near whisper. Neither Gaara or Sasuke replied. Only Shisui turned to look at him.

"I have some experience with medical aid," he answered but the look he gave Naruto sent a hollow feeling of dread right through him.

Before Naruto could say anything else, Shisui turned to Kakashi. "Is it done?"

"Hai," he answered. The white-haired man cast his eyes at Shisui's hip. "And you?"

"A graze," answered Shisui and quickly brought his attention back to Sakura.

The cramped space didn't allow for much movement and from where Naruto sat pressed up against the side of the container to make room for Sakura, there was no way to see how she was faring in Shisui's care. Rage and hopelessness clouded his thoughts. Everything they had planned, all his choices made with only winning and revenge in mind. How could he have been so fucking stupid? Sai, Sasori, Genma and now Sakura. Naruto dropped his head trying to push down his shame. None of it was worth it. Not if it had come to this. _How had it come to this?_

He had tempted fate, that's how. He had tempted fate and this had been the price. Naruto raised his head. Sasuke was staring back at him with the same steeled determination that had first attracted him to the clan boss. Naruto recognized the same cold Uchiha eyes but underneath was something softer.

A bump in the road caused everyone to shift and brace themselves or being knocked over. Sakura let out a cry and Naruto looked to where she lay and saw Shisui and Gaara doing their best to hold her in place.

Behind Naruto, the truck's cab window slid open.

"Yamato. Detour through the Lower East Side," Sasuke said through the opening.

The sound of the truck's gears shifting was the only reply Naruto heard to Sasuke's orders. He shot his lover a confused look. What the hell was Sasuke up to?

"I'm going after Itachi," Sasuke said.

"Sasuke -"

"Is there anything we can use for bandages?" Shisui called back to them. "Something clean?"

Naruto's words were cut off and he began searching through the box next to him as the truck rocked and bounced through the city streets. In it he found the clothes they were meant to use as disguises once they reached Washington Heights. He yanked out one of the shirts and handed it to Shisui.

"What about alcohol?" Shisui asked.

Sasuke slid the cab window open again. "Tenten. Under the seat. Hand it to me." Sasuke took the bottle she gave him and passed it to Naruto.

"Here." Naruto placed it next to Shisui. "To clean the wound."

Shisui looked back at him. "It would only cause her more pain."

Naruto swallowed hard at the dark resignation in his eyes. Shisui went back to tending to Sakura and began to make small cuts in her dress to clear it away from her wound. The switchblade in his hand was steady but Naruto could tell he was taking care not to expose too much of the skin beneath. Naruto's attention then settled on Gaara.

His best friend was doing his best to keep Sakura still. Naruto couldn't hear what Gaara was whispering to her over the loud groan of the truck engine but he could see Sakura's body tense and spasm from Shisui's attempt at medical aid no matter how gentle he tried to be. Her sobs and cries were mercifully drowned out by all the noise.

No one in the truck had to guess at what Sakura had been through or why Shisui was doing his best to give her some modesty as he worked through her dress. It had been a terrible price she had paid. Naruto's eyes burned at the sight of Gaara, stoic at her side. Unwavering.

"For her," Shisui said to the redhead and held the whiskey bottle out to him. "A stomach wound is painful."

Without a word, Gaara took it and brought it down to Sakura's mouth. She coughed and spat some of it out but continued to drink at Gaara's insistence.

"I'm here," Naruto heard Gaara say to her and he looked away not wanting to hear the rest. He wanted nothing more than to get as far away from this moment as he could. Again, his eyes met Sasuke's but all he saw was his own doubt reflected back at him. He scowled and clenched his eyes shut. _Please, not now. No good would come from tears. Not now._

He opened his eyes and froze at the new look in his lover's eyes. Panic gripped him and he turned his head.

Sakura's hand was in Gaara's, limp and unmoving. A glance at Shisui and the way the man sat motionless not lifting his head made Naruto's mouth go dry. He looked at Kakashi, but the man was sitting in the corner casually resting his arm on a raised leg and staring blankly into space.

Shisui recapped the whiskey bottle and set it aside. He turned and pulled a wool blanket from the box. He had barely managed to unfold it when Gaara reached out to him. Taking the blanket, he carefully covered Sakura. Not able to bring himself to drape the blanket over her head, Gaara pulled it up to her shoulders and tucked it gently under her chin. His hand crept higher and brushed the pink strands of hair from her face the way it did once upon a time. Before the clan. Before all the guns and murder.

His hand stilled. Then he brought his hand in closer and closed her eyes with a soft touch of his fingers.

"Gaara." Naruto's voice cracked. He pushed his hands against the dirty grime of the meat truck floor and moved a kneeling position intending to go to his best friend.

The cab window slid open. "Sasuke," Tenten said to him.

"Find an alley," he answered.

Sasuke grabbed at the box and pulled out several items of clothes. He donned on a long-sleeve cotton shirt and scruffy pair of cords. Had Naruto not been beyond consolation, he might've managed a smile at the way the usually dapper Uchiha grimaced as he pulled on and buttoned up the shabby wardrobe.

"I'm going with you," Naruto said. His eyes stung. It was too much for him. He had to get out of the truck. He needed a moment to breathe.

Sasuke didn't look at him. Instead he grabbed the dirty brown coat Kakashi had given him and a pair of workboots from the box.

"Sasuke."

"It's better if I go alone," he said and cinched the laces on his boots. Finally, Sasuke brought his eyes up at Naruto, then to where Gaara sat quiet and unmoving next to Sakura.

"Goddammit Sasuke." Naruto didn't want to deal with Sasuke's goddamn pride. The stubborn Uchiha needed protection.

"Naruto, I need you to trust me." Sasuke leaned close. "I'll meet you at the rendezvous point. You're needed here."

Was it really only a few months ago when they first squared off this way? The two of them, posturing, trying to push the other to back down first? Naruto hitched a breath at the memories.

Naruto knew Sasuke was right. But letting the Uchiha leave his side did not sit well with him. He leveled his eyes at Sasuke. "If you're late, I'll go after you and drag you back myself."

"I know."

Naruto swallowed, wincing at the painful lump in his throat.

"Have Shisui look at that." Sasuke flicked a brow at Naruto's shoulder and then at the bloodstain near his waist.

Naruto touched the makeshift tourniquet on his shoulder. "I'm fine. The bullet went through and through. The bleeding's stopped." Naruto looked down at his waist. "And this one. It barely cut the skin."

"Have Yamato give you some pain meds," Sasuke said just as the truck slowed to a stop and Tenten slid the small window open.

"I'm fine." Naruto looked to where Sasuke had been hit. "What about you?"

"No more than a scratch."

"We're here," Tenten called out.

"Look after the others," Sasuke said to Naruto and then moved past him. Tenten opened the truck door from the outside and Sasuke slipped out and into the city beyond.

* * *

There was still plenty of moonlight dancing off the water by the time Itachi found himself stalking the pier. In his cloak and hood, the shadows that remained were just enough to keep him from standing out against the growing dawn. Pierrepont wasn't more than three blocks away. It was a bold hideout and Itachi might have even been impressed at the slyness of it, if it weren't for the dark wrath that was pumping through his veins.

Itachi moved silently. The warehouse he was headed for was only a few feet farther down so he kept to the shadowed line of brush on his right. He circled the abandoned building and reached behind his back and into his cloak. Wrapping his hand around the strong steel of his katana, he stepped through the rear metal door of the warehouse.

The cold damp building echoed his arrival. His keen eyes scanned the rotten shipping crates littered to his left, some stacked two, three or four high; some broken and shattered on the ground. The stench of dozens of fish barrels long forgotten hit him. They were littered everywhere and reeked of guts and age. Itachi lifted his eyes. Small windows near the ceiling offered little light but enough to allow his eyes to adjust to the black as his senses continued to feel out his surroundings.

"For an Uchiha, you're not very bright," a voice called out from the darkness. Itachi didn't move but slid his eyes toward the crates.

Itachi stepped closer. A soft shuffle against the concrete floor came from somewhere behind the crates but Itachi didn't react. He kept his body taut. His movement precise. Anxiousness and panic long since trained out of him. With each step he pulled his katana free -the near weightlessness of it giving no indication to its lethal purpose. It was likely Madara would be armed but Itachi knew the man wouldn't be able to resist a face to face fight. A fact he was counting on as he continued to close the distance between himself and where his uncle was likely lying in wait.

He moved slow but continued his advance. With his back pushed against the crates, Itachi readied his blade. A flicker of movement caught his attention and his eyes quickly scanned the windows. His mouth twitched with dark satisfaction.

"You shouldn't have come, Sasuke," Madara said into the dark. "You're wasting your time. I wasn't the one who killed Itachi."

Another shadow moved across one of the windows but this time Madara caught the movement and fired his gun at it. Itachi turned his body toward the sound, zeroing in the location. A silhouette appeared in another window and again Madara took the shot.

"I know you didn't," Itachi answered, his voice low and deep as he slowly rounded the crates. Madara fired into the direction of Itachi's voice but the sound of footsteps on the roof drew his attention away from where Itachi waited still concealed in shadow. Alerted to the new arrivals, Madara fired three more shots into the ceiling above him.

Now in full view and in the middle of the warehouse, Madara stood spinning and aiming at one window then another in confusion.

Only a light ripple of fabric was heard as Itachi rushed forward. Madara spun and fired while moving to meet him head on but the gun clicked empty. Itachi brought his steel down on Madara's weapon-held hand, cutting it off at the wrist before bringing his blade back around and piercing his uncle through the abdomen. Itachi slid his katana in deep, stepping in and face to face with Madara.

"You put the hit on my parents."

"It-ugh-tachi!" Marada choked out his words, spewing blood. His eyes widened at the sight of his dead nephew.

"Look at your death, uncle. Look well." Itachi pushed his blade in to the hilt. His merciless eyes fixed on the darkening pupils of his enemy. Confusion and rage flashed across Madara's face before finally slackening. Itachi stepped back and kicked the now lifeless body back to free his sword.

Not taking his eyes off the body on the floor, Itachi wiped his blade with the inside of his cloak and sheathed it.

Without a moment to waste, Itachi was out the door and back on the pier. The rendezvous time was close. There was no hint of doubt in gait as he returned the way he had come. He was nothing more than a man out for a late -or early stroll along the pier. However in true Itachi fashion, he did manage a single pause before he turned onto the street that would take him to his waiting brother. A look up at the streetlight and a glance over his shoulder was all he gave to the Anbu he knew were nearby. He caught the rustle of the trees in his peripheral and brought his chin low. A simple thank you to the men that had kept their word. Satisfied by the sudden stillness around him, Itachi continued on and disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

Inside the meat truck, minutes ticked by like hours and no one spoke a word as they drove through Manhattan. Not knowing what to say or wanting to fill the silence with meaningless platitudes, Naruto kept his head cradled in his hand atop his propped up knee. His eyes and throat burned with emotion. _Sakura… Gaara._ He closed his eyes.

 _Gaara._

Naruto's mind stumbled over every thought. What were they going to do now? How would… ? He shook his head. Nothing made sense anymore. Everything that had seemed so clear months, days ago now felt like another life. Some other realty left behind. Shame stole its way into his heart and Naruto let it fill him.

"Oiy. Naruto." Kakashi's voice startled him out of his thoughts and Naruto lifted his head.

"Shikamaru and the others are to meet us in Washington Heights."

Naruto stared at his one-time sparring partner. He recognized the words but… "Huh?"

"Your friends decided to ride with us to California. They'll be waiting at the rendezvous point," Kakashi replied.

"Okay." Naruto blinked and then opened his mouth. "The fire. At the hotel. How did -"

"Your friends were helpful in dowsing a few tires with gasoline. Between the thick smoke and Sasori's rig on the roof, it'll take the cops a day or more to sift through the rubble."

 _Sasori's rig._ Naruto felt the weight in his chest deepen. His eyes found Gaara. Neither he nor Shisui had moved from Sakura's side. Naruto lowered his head again.

"Yeah," he murmured to Kakashi and said no more.

* * *

When she opened her eyes, Konan was surprised to see the moon overhead. For sure she had been dead. She blinked and tried to move. Legs? Her body screamed when she tried to move them. Konan tried her fingers and arms. Luckily they responded and she brought her hands to her face. The movement sent another shockwave of pain through her body making her break out in a sweat.

It was coming back to her. Madara's estate. _Obito._

She tried again to move either leg. "Ah-agh!" Painful sobs filled the night. Could anyone hear her? She flashed her eyes to her left and right trying to recall exactly where she had fallen.

 _The alleyway._

Konan had been surprised to find Madara only two blocks from his home when she happened on him. The drive had been brutal but she had made it to his estate. Still bleeding from the bullet graze her leg, she had hobbled out of her car only a block away from the home of the man she vowed would die at her own hands. The house appeared empty and when she scanned the area for anyone left behind, it was only sheer luck that she caught a pair elongated shadows moving down the alley and away from Madara's mansion.

 _But it had only been Madara._

When Konan had crept up behind her enemy there was no sign of anyone else. His estate grounds had been empty, no cars in the street, no bodyguards around him to attract attention. She clearly remembered the thrill she felt at catching the bastard off-guard and alone.

* * *

There was no telling how long Madara would remain on foot so Konan continued to track him down the alley not wanting to risk losing him, so sure that a car would whisk him away if she waited too long to strike. Ache from her leg wound screamed at her but she just wiped the sweat from her brow and kept on. From one dumpster to another, she stuck close to the shadows slowly gaining on him. She pulled a pistol from her waistband. Just one shot, she told herself. If she could get one clear shot, she'd have her revenge.

Just a few feet ahead, Madara stopped and lit a cigarette. Something nagged at her about his lack of haste but Konan shook herself clear and focused, silently rebuking herself for the momentary break in her nerve. After all these years she had finally succeeded in destroying the man's empire. Now all that was left was to make sure his last breath was at her hands.

Madara finally turned the corner and she hurried after him. With her gun at her side, she rounded the corner and brought her weapon up. It was an easy headshot from this distance, she thought and smiled.

"This is for my family you piece of shit." Konan moved in behind him.

Madara turned around. "Your family?" The fallen leader of the Uchiha blew out his cigarette smoke and looked back at her calmly.

"My parents and my brother, Nagato. You stole him from us. You murdered him and my father."

"Hm. I can't recall."

"You sonofabitch!" She yelled, but before she could fire a hand fell on her shoulder from behind and Konan felt a knife sink into her back. Shock and anguish engulfed her. Her gun clattered to the ground and she to her knees and then to cold concrete of the alleyway floor. Above her stood Obito, grinning.

She spat at him. "Fuck you!"

Obito circled her and then used his foot to add pressure to her wound.

"Ahhg-ah!"

"Tsk-tsk," Obito said and laughed. "This is what happens when you try to play a man's game."

"Ah-haha-ugh," Konan laughed back at him through the pain. "I'm the reason you're running, assholes. You took everything from me. So I took it back." She grinned and spat out the blood in her mouth, still laughing.

"Let's go," Madara said. "Let her die in the gutter where she belongs."

But Obito knelt down. "I was the one who took your brother's life." His grin grew. "He got in between me and one of my pets. Trying to play the hero. So took him out back and slit his throat."

Konan surged forward to grab him but Obito pulled back and stood up. He kicked her body hard and then stomped down on her knife wound. When she screamed in pain, he bent down and punched her across her face.

* * *

Now lying on the ground in the corner of the alleyway, Konan struggled to remember anything after that.

"Here you are," a voice close by said.

Panic gripped Konan and she fought to get up but the excruciating pain kept her from doing anything more than prop herself. She twisted her body toward the voice.

"I had a feeling you'd try and beat the Uchiha to it," the man said.

"Kisame." Konan blinked at her hired informant. Immediately her relief was immediately replaced with tension. "What are you doing here?"

"I was asked to make sure you didn't do anything foolish." Kisame pulled off his cloak and walked to her. "How far is your car?"

Konan allowed him to wrap the cape around her and help her up. "Uh fuck!" she grimaced and braced against the pain. " _Who_ asked you?"

"Does it matter?" Kisame placed an arm around her waist and led her down the alley. "If you didn't drive then we'll have to walk out of here. I came by foot."

There had always been doubts in her mind about Kisame's loyalty and she slanted a look at him still wondering just how much trust she should place in him.

"I could leave you here," Kisame said, easily reading her skepticism.

"I-uhg-parked a block back th-that way," she said and jerked her chin.

"Then this will be faster," he said and swooped her up in both arms.

Konan cried out then bit it back. The intensity of the pain was too much and darkness swirled in front of her eyes.

"I can't do anything about the pain," Kisame told her. "But I can take you to Yahiko. Relax or you'll just lose more blood."

Reluctantly, Konan closed her eyes. If Kisame was going to betray her, why bother carrying her to safety? Her thoughts drifted to Madara and her failure. All she had left to hope for was that Sasuke would succeed where she had failed and Naruto had told her she could trust him.

With consciousness fading, Konan smiled. _Naruto._ If he had faith that Sasuke would see it finished then she would put her trust in her friend... and Sasuke.

 _It's done,_ she thought and then the black that had been waiting took her completely.

* * *

Naruto paced back and forth smoking a cigarette.

"Everyone from the Mayor to the Commissioner and even a few of the guys I worked with at the station are in here," Kakashi said, scanning the New York Times front page. "Naruto." Kakashi looked up. "It's only 2 minutes past."

The one-time street hood slanted a look at him and then continued his anxious patrol of their hideout. Old man Teuchi had been helpful in procuring a place where they could all lay low before leaving the state. So for now they were safe. _Those of us that are here,_ Naruto thought and sucked down his cigarette. It was bad enough he couldn't bring himself to talk let alone look to where Gaara sat quiet and stoic next to Sakura's body. But now Sasuke was late.

None of them had said a word when Gaara took Sakura's body from the truck and into the Irish run laundry house. Luckily, Teuchi had strong ties to the owners of the business. The thick brogued man who ushered Yamato and the rest into the safehouse hadn't batted an eye as Gaara followed after with the lifeless body in his arms. One of the benefits of dealing with other marginalized immigrant communities was that they all seemed to instinctively abide by the unspoken adage, _the enemy of my enemy is my friend._

Naruto snuffed out his smoke and glanced around the room. Detergent and other chemical supplies had been moved and stacked to make way for him and the crew. The steam from the large steel washing machines out in the workhouse, heated the room to an uncomfortable state that only added to Naruto's anxiousness and irritability.

"I'm going after him." Naruto tucked in as much of his blond hair as he could into his flat cap.

"Give them time," Shisui said to him. "They'll be here."

But Naruto was already out the rear door. His eyes stung from the instant brightness of the day and he blinked repeatedly as he moved down the alley to the laundry truck that had replaced their previous getaway wheels. There was no sign of the police or anything out of place. The constant churning and cranking of the washing machines from inside the building fused with the sparse street traffic giving the neighborhood an eerie vibe. Even with all that they'd lost, it's seemed surreal to have succeeded much less avoid being pursued.

He tugged his flat cap down and rounded the truck. Naruto decided he would take the truck. Risk be damned. He cast one last look down the alley to make sure the coast was clear. A block down from where he stood, he saw two lean figures walking toward each other and he froze.

Relief at the sight of Itachi and Sasuke was quickly replaced with suspicion as Naruto watched the two brothers step closer to one another. The had arrived from different directions and were now greeting each other.

 _If Sasuke hadn't found Itachi after he left, then where the hell has he been all this time?_ Naruto stepped away from the truck and both Uchiha's caught the movement and looked in his direction. Neither one seemed distracted by Naruto's presence and they went to him.

"You're late,"Naruto said.

"I was arranging a last minute detour for when we make it to Pennsylvania," Sasuke responded.

Itachi ignored Naruto's neglect to greet him and entered the laundry, leaving the two men to their talk alone.

"What detour and for what?" Naruto could feel his anger building. Why was Sasuke determined to keep secrets from him?

"We can't take Sakura with us."

Naruto's mind stuttered. "Sak... I d-don't underst -"

"Yes you do."

Grief and sorrow flooded Naruto's emotions. He'd been fighting against his feelings, preferring to focus on Sasuke's absence for the last three hours rather than confront the loss of his childhood friend. His throat tightened.

"What's the plan?" Naruto said quietly.

"If you can get Gaara to agree, I've arranged for a cremation. An old business partner of my father's has agreed to help us." Sasuke looked around the alleyway. "We need to get inside, Naruto."

"Yeah." Naruto led the way. "Thanks," he said as he opened the door to go inside.

When they walked in, Sasuke went to where his brother was familiarizing himself with Naruto's old street gang and despite having been worried for hours, Naruto was grateful for the moment alone. Already he was trying to figure out how to talk to his best friend about what to do with the body of their childhood friend. There was no way out of it and his heart ached at the prospect.

In the corner of the large room, sat Gaara. His eyes were cast down and Naruto wondered if he had fallen asleep. It was a now or never moment.

Naruto went to where the items they had brought with them were piled and he dug out the bottle of whiskey. The same bottle Sakura drank from only hours age. He stared at the liquor in his hands and then went to his best friend. Maybe it was fitting for him and Gaara to drink from the same bottle as they discussed what came next. Maybe it was supposed to hurt this much. And just maybe it would feel good to let the pain in a little. _At least until the booze kicked in,_ he thought and blinked away the wetness in his eyes.

Uncorking the whiskey bottle with his teeth, Naruto sat down next to Gaara and passed it to him. The redhead stared at it and then took it and drank. He gave it back to Naruto who downed a mouthful and then used his sleeves to wipe at the flavor on his lips. He savored the slight burn to his throat.

"Gaara…"

* * *

The sound of Naruto's voice was soothing. It always had been. At the moment, Gaara had trouble focusing on it for too long, but every so often Naruto's voice would block out his own thoughts and he was grateful.

When Naruto spoke of Sasuke's offer to take care of Sakura, the redhead wondered how much of a risk they were all taking by planning this side trip. He had to be honest with himself. He could care less if it placed the Uchiha's in more danger, but knowing Naruto's devotion to Sasuke the way he did, meant his friend would be at risk as well. Gaara closed his eyes.

It may have been Naruto's voice but it was Sakura's face he saw in the darkness of his mind. Her on stage. Her in their apartment. Always her.

"You don't have to give your answer now," Naruto said. "Once we leave here for Pennsylvania you'll have another day or two to decide."

Gaara tried to say, it's fine. He tried to tell him that they could go. They could leave him here and that there would be no need for a detour. He didn't want to go to California. He didn't want to leave New York and he didn't want to stay. Gaara tried to tell him that all he wanted was to sit right here next to Sakura and nothing more, but his voice wouldn't work.

"I want you to come with me to Japan."

Gaara looked up.

"I know you're gonna say no. I know you're gonna fight me on this but I don't care. You can't stay here alone. I won't let you."

Gaara turned away and down at her body. Naruto kept on, telling him how he wouldn't leave for Japan without him and Gaara believed him.

Again, he closed his eyes and saw Sakura. He was holding her hand as tears fell from her eyes. She was using all her strength to put on a brave face while Shisui tended to her gunshot wound. _I want you to go, Gaara. Please. For me._ But Gaara didn't want to think about that. He opened his eyes and there she was. Still beautiful. Still gone.

Naruto handed him the whiskey bottle and again Gaara took it and drank. He passed it back and wondered how long Naruto was going to ramble on. His best friend never did like dealing with his feelings. Gaara supposed that was why they got along so well. Their deep friendship cut from the pain neither one wanted to talk about. As soothing as Naruto's voice was, he knew if he didn't say something soon, the stubborn blond would go on forever. But what could he say? That Japan meant nothing to him? That it didn't matter where he went or where Naruto dragged him off to, Gaara didn't want to be anywhere at all and if he couldn't manage that, then right here next to Sakura would do just fine.

"I need you," Naruto said softly. "I know you don't believe me but I do."

Gaara looked at his best friend.

"What if…" Naruto fidgeted with the bottle. "What if they don't want anything to do with me?" He said in a barely audible voice. "What if they see what I am and turn me away?" Naruto lifted the bottle to his lips and then stopped. "I know it's not fair to ask you to stay with me. I know I can't… make things better or take her…" Naruto drank the booze. "And it's alright if you hate me for letting this happen," he went on, his voice cracking. "But hate me or blame me, you're still my family and I need you." Naruto lowered his head. "Even if you don't need me anymore."

"What you are is the best friend a man could ever ask for," Gaara said and Naruto looked up, his eyes red and guilt-ridden. "And none of this was your fault. I won't let you carry my pain on your shoulders anymore." Gaara looked to where Sakura lay.

It was a horrible feeling. The need building inside Gaara. The need to keep running at Naruto's side even if it was only temporary. With or without the approval of his parents, Sasuke was Naruto's family now. The thick-headed idiot just hadn't figured it out yet.

"Gaara, I'm so sorry. I'm so -"

"I'll go."

Naruto stared at him, mouth open. "Gaara…"

"Can we talk about it later?" Gaara took the whiskey from him.

"Sure," Naruto said and got to his feet.

Gaara took a drink and closed his eyes. _Promise me, Gaara._ He flashed his eyes open and took another drink. The larger gulp made his eyes water but he didn't care. It hurt him to know that originally he had no intention of keeping his promise, preferring instead to disappear into his pain, alone in New York. But as his emptiness began to blend with his loyalty, Gaara knew he was in no condition to deny either once Naruto confessed his fears to him. Gaara simply gave up. Beyond a doubt he knew that had the situation been reversed, not even his love for Sakura would have kept him from bailing if Naruto he needed him.

Just as he had done for more than half his life, Gaara decided to follow his friend. This time the whiskey didn't burn as it went down so Gaara drank even deeper.

He stared at Sakura and knew it was time. Gently, he raised the blanket over her head and slowly tucked it in all around. Sitting back, he lifted the bottle to her.

 _You're coming with me._

And with one final drink, Gaara sat back against the wall and closed his eyes.

* * *

The days at sea began to look the same. Vast dark water. Endless horizon with no land in sight. Naruto stood on the deck of the tramp steamer Itachi had managed to secure for them and marveled at the enormity of the ocean. Growing up in New York, he'd always been aware of the water that surrounded the city. The way the cold swept off it and into Manhattan during winter or the afternoon dips in the bay when he and his friends needed a break from the sweltering summer heat. Even watching the ships sailing along the coastline was a normal everyday occurrence and yet Naruto couldn't remember ever really thinking about the sea beyond his own limited sight. Now here he was, staring out at the endless expanse of water as if it was the first time he had ever laid eyes on the ocean.

He closed his eyes and breathed in the cold sea air, grateful that for the first time in days, he didn't have the overwhelming urge to throw up. Between trying to get his sea legs and hours spent hunched over a toilet or bucket, Naruto hadn't been able to visit the deck much since they boarded. Instead, he had been regulated to his stateroom until he was able to keep down his breakfast and dinner.

Of course it was no surprise that Sasuke had adapted well to sea life. He and his brother didn't so much as lose their footing when walking from one end of the ship to the other, while Naruto spent most of his first days at sea either clinging to the railings for balance or puking into a bucket. On more than one occasion, Naruto found himself more than irritated at Sasuke's natural ability to adjust to the sea. Watching his boyfriend enjoy an after-dinner whiskey and a smoke had proven too much for the queasy blond one evening and Naruto ended up kicking Sasuke out of his room, telling him to go find something to do other than stink up his room.

Thankfully, the Uchiha had the sense to restrain himself and not comment on Naruto's bad mood. He calmly snuffed out his smoke and left, taking the bottle of whiskey with him. Since then Naruto's mood had improved. Now he was keeping his meals where they belonged as well as walking around the ship without falling down.

Naruto smiled to himself and opened his eyes. He was feeling better. And maybe it was because he was feeling better, that the vast nothingness of the view in front of him had Naruto feeling nostalgic and thoughtful. Or maybe it was because after their last stand at the club followed by their hasty escape and journey to San Francisco, having to say goodbye to Shikamaru and the guys followed by Naruto puking his guts out for nearly two weeks, this was the first real chance he had to reflect on it all.

Both Naruto and Sasuke left the door to Japan open for Shika and the guys but once they arrived in San Francisco, Shikamaru thought he and the guys would give it a chance rather than head on with Naruto and Gaara. It had eased Naruto's mind when Sasuke stood right beside him and told his friends that should they ever change their minds, the Uchiha would always welcome them. There were handshakes, thank you's and a rather large envelope that passed from Sasuke's hand to Shika's. Needless to say, any remaining fears Naruto had about the survival of his friends lifted away soon after.

Saying goodbye ended up easier than expected. Tenten too had left them but had chosen her moment in Chicago. From there they were to board the Pacific Rail to Seattle. Tenten however, would not be going with them. She kept her word to see Sasuke board the train safe and sound before heading back to New York and Ino. And now it back to New York for her.

"I got enough money hidden away to make a legit go of it on my own," she had told Naruto, giving him a wink. Naruto was sad to see her leave but knew each of them had their own reasons for staying or going. They hugged and parted ways.

Naruto leaned onto the deck railing and caught goosebumps from the cold metal bars as he pressed forearms against it. The sea kept everything damp and cold and Naruto shivered from the contact. He thought about Shikamaru and his friends. Tenten and Konan who had sent a telegram to Sasuke through the San Francisco Western Union office. She wished Sasuke luck and thanked him for his help and included a simpler message at the end.

Tell N I'm sorry.

It was years late but at least it gave Naruto the closure he had wanted. He was happy enough to know that she survived. Her apology for using him not once but twice, was just her way of saying goodbye, he supposed.

Naruto pulled out his cigarettes and lit one. He exhaled and the cloud of his breath from the cold mixed with the smoke causing it to hang slightly longer in the air. It was still pretty early in the morning. He wanted a few moments alone. Now that he didn't have to worry about staying close to a toilet, he wanted to walk around and give his soon to be dealt with situation a thorough once over.

During the entire trip west, Gaara had been mostly speaking when absolutely necessary and only to Naruto. Everyone on the Uchiha's remaining crew gave Gaara a wide berth. All relays were given to Naruto who also did what he could to give his best friend the space he needed. The sparse interactions had still been difficult nonetheless.

The sullen redhead had almost completely regressed back to when he and Naruto first left the orphanage. Despite Naruto's concern, he had no choice but to let Gaara deal with the loss of Sakura in his own way. Her death had crushed Naruto as well but his pain was mired down in guilt and shame. Gaara's loss was far more tortured and it left Naruto in a state of confusion about how to help his friend. There never seemed to be the right time to talk. With the lot of them trying to make it to San Francisco unnoticed, there had simply been no time for anything other than strategic travel plans and midnight relocations from one city to the next. Now finally on the ship and out at sea, Gaara chose to spend the days in his room rather than socializing with the men or even Naruto. This only made Naruto more anxious to speak to his friend and the sooner the better.

Despite their tenuous work relationship, it was clear Gaara appreciated the trouble Sasuke had gone to, in making sure Sakura's remains were taken care of. The beautiful jade box the young Uchiha had purchased for her ashes and then given to Gaara had touched Naruto immensely. When Gaara looked at the beautiful urn, Naruto thought his friend might actually say something to Sasuke but the redhead only raised his head and gave the clan boss the slightest of bows for the gift. Since then the box had been kept out of sight and Gaara along with it. The redhead often showing up late to dinner or hanging far back from the rest of them whenever they were on the move. And now confining himself to his stateroom.

Naruto scrubbed his hands over his face.

"Feeling better?"

A small smile grew across Naruto's face. "Would you believe me if I said, I don't know?"

"I would," Sasuke replied and took the spot next to Naruto at the railing. "Does this mean I'm still banned from visiting you?"

Naruto chuckled. "Sorry about that. Your cigarette smoke wasn't helping my nausea." Naruto nudged Sasuke with his elbow. "And your drinking was making me jealous."

Sasuke smirked and then took a cigarette from the pack Naruto was offering. "It does make it easier to follow Itachi's request."

Another soft chuckle left the blond. Itachi had without any hint of humor, told the both of them to keep their companionship out of sight from the boat's crew and captain. _It took a large portion of our finances to book the private steamer. Do nothing to jeopardize our voyage._ Sasuke of course, had promptly told his brother to take his own advice before assuming Sasuke would be so stupid as to behave in any way other than discrete.

"Well, I doubt your brother has any plans to stay celibate the entire way to Japan," Naruto said and slanted a sly look at Sasuke.

"I'd rather not think about it," Sasuke answered curtly, causing Naruto to again laugh.

Even through his smile, anxiety still pulled at Naruto. The situation with Gaara had him in knots but that was nothing compared to the outright terror he felt at the prospect of meeting the people who claimed to be his parents. That last look at the country he called home, hadn't filled Naruto with the sorrow he expected as the shipped sailed farther and farther from port. But every time his mind reached out to his imaginings of what awaited him in Japan, the one time street hood would begin to sweat.

"And Gaara?" Sasuke asked.

"Still in his room." Naruto looked at the cigarette in his hand. It had gone dead and he flicked it to the deck. "I know I need to talk to him but I have no idea what I should say."

"Maybe you don't need to say anything."

Naruto looked at his boyfriend. The sight of his dark eyes, calm and soft, eased him.

"Take a bottle from my room and go to him. Sit with him. Let him decide if something needs to be said," Sasuke offered up.

Naruto took in a deep breath and looked back out at the sea. "We'll have to reschedule visiting hours."

Sasuke moved his hand and for a few small seconds his fingers danced with Naruto's as he passed him his cigarette. The slope of their hands then brushed together with one sensual swipe sending a deep need through them both. Then it was gone.

"I have the rest of my life to spend time with you," Sasuke said softly. "Gaara needs you now."

Never had Naruto wanted to kiss this man more than this very moment. It was a promise he had no idea he wanted to hear from Sasuke until it was said. He looked at him. His friend. His lover. There was no doubt in his mind that he did want to spend the rest of his life with the man now standing at his side.

The two of them shared the quiet declaration, their eyes speaking the words they knew they couldn't say out loud. It seemed strange the way a few simple words carried so much weight. Slowly they turned. Their attention again on the blue-black of the ocean that surrounded them.

Naruto took a deep hit from his cig and let it out. "And my parents?"

"One thing at a time," Sasuke answered. "I'll leave you to decide how or when… or if you want to face them."

Naruto passed him back the cigarette.

"I could go with you," Sasuke said casually and Naruto faced him, surprise clearly in his eyes.

"You don't have -"

"It would be because I want to," Sasuke cut in. "You're a grown man. I know you don't need me to hold your hand."

Another smile lifted itself from Naruto's mouth. He pulled out his cigarette pack and lit another. As he watched the random dance of the waves, he wondered if Sasuke knew just how much Naruto did need him. How much the damn Uchiha was now part of him and no longer separate. Akin to his lungs or his heart. Naruto took a long drag from his smoke and considered telling Sasuke just how much he in fact did need him. Maybe when they get to Japan, he thought… _maybe tonight._

There was still another hour until breakfast would be ready and Naruto figured that would be a good time as any to go to Gaara. _I'll take him his breakfast._ The plan was a good one and he set his mind to it and felt a weight lift. He continued to smoke and his mind drifted from Gaara to Japan to Sasuke.

"So are you going to tell me where you really disappeared to when you lied about going after Itachi when we left the club?"

True to his nature, Sasuke didn't show the slightest surprise. If Naruto hadn't been genuinely miffed at the way Sasuke had ditched him, not to mention the lack of trust in his actions, Naruto might have laughed at his lover's usual nonchalant air. Instead he ashed his cigarette over the railing and waited for an answer.

"I was hoping to leave this conversation for when we arrived in Japan," Sasuke said.

"And here I was hoping we had reached a place of trust."

Sasuke let out a sigh and Naruto knew his irritated tone had been received.

"I needed to go alone."

* * *

Sasuke waited for Naruto to say something in reply but the damn blond stayed silent, making it clear that no matter how long it took, he would wait for the explanation due to him. Sasuke hated and loved that about Naruto. That no one outside his brother could force Sasuke to give in. Could make him want to give in.

He had meant it when he told Naruto he would spend the rest of his life with him. But what had struck him as strange was that Sasuke had no idea he was going to say it. The words had simply fallen from his lips and once they had, the awkward seconds before Naruto finally looked at him had left Sasuke uncharacteristically nervous. When he saw his promise returned in his lover's eyes a relief like he had never known, passed through him. A relief that was short-lived once Naruto posed his last question.

"I left to meet with Itachi's Fed informant."

"Why?" Naruto continued to stare at Sasuke but the Uchiha's eyes were on the sea.

"He had information I wanted and I had the location of the gravesite."

"The brothel girls."

"Yes." Sasuke faced Naruto and motioned for another cigarette. "We exchanged information and then I left him to find someone else."

Sasuke watched as Naruto's mind as it worked to think of who would be so important for Sasuke to find that he'd leave in the middle of their escape to pursue them alone.

Blue eyes darkened. "Rasa."

"He had several aliases but Itachi's contact had his address." Sasuke waited for a reply but Naruto only turned from him. Preferring to stare at the sea while he processed the new information. Anger and frustration played on Naruto's features and Sasuke wondered if his confession would cost him Naruto's invitation to resume their visiting hours. He had been prepared to face Naruto's temper once the truth was told but it never occurred to him it could cost him an empty bed. Glued to Naruto's reaction, Sasuke saw the tan face of his lover tighten and then slowly ease up. The crease in Naruto's brow smoothed and the tension in his shoulders dropped away.

"Tell me everything," Naruto said.

Sasuke tossed his cigarette and pulled a new one from his vest pocket.

"I only had a small window of time so I had Kakashi leave a car for me one street away from where I was to meet with the Fed."

* * *

Dawn was already flooding the city by the time Sasuke arrived at Public School 1. Itachi's informant had proven useful but having to listen to the old man prattle on about the festering sore of American corruption had given Sasuke a headache. Obviously the white-haired man had cared about the detestable actions of the orphanage where Naruto and so many others were abused, but the powers that be had tied his hands. Sasuke listened to his admissions and his reasons but nothing could keep Sasuke from silently judging him. It wasn't until he saw the gleam in the informant's eyes when Sasuke's only response to the Fed was to step aside and leave him to deal with the orphanage proctor, that he began to like the old man.

Now, waiting at the front door of the public school turned orphanage, Sasuke wondered just how much the old Fed knew.

"Can I help you, sir?"

Sasuke looked down at the child in front of him. Large brown eyes stared back.

"I would like to speak to the Proctor. Is he here?" Sasuke buttoned his large coat and pushed his hands into his pockets.

The small child only looked back at him, confused.

"The Director?" Sasuke added.

"Please come in and I will get him." The small boy offered out his hand toward the lobby and Sasuke walked in and out of the cold.

It was clear the young child had been taught exemplary manners. But on closer examination, Sasuke's eyes read a different story. Even with being neatly kept and clean, it was easy to see the neglect in the boy. Paper thin clothes despite the chill in the room. Shoes with the soles worn through. Colored bruises on his arms.

The child's face had been scrubbed clean and his hair tamed but for appearances only. Neck dirt and fingernails that resembled hard factory labor rather than that of a ten year old boy were not missed by the Uchiha's sharp eyes.

"Please wait here." The child pointed to the chairs and left.

Sasuke remained standing.

The damp coldness of the waiting area and the child's fading footsteps only added to the dreariness of the place. Not able to control his analytical mind, Sasuke looked around and imagined how it must have been for someone like Naruto to have grown up here. So much of what Sasuke admired about the blond was completely opposite from the feel of the orphanage. After everything he had endured in this place, Naruto managed to hold onto his spirit, his character. Sure the man had a temper that rivaled Sasuke's but he also had a joy about him. A purity that nothing he'd been through could touch.

A slow anger rose inside Sasuke. It was hard for him to even reconcile the fact that this Rasa person was also Gaara's father. Sasuke's mind worked to composite the type of man who would have no qualms about letting his own child suffer such horrific abuse. He knew the truth behind the protective nature of Gaara and Naruto's friendship all stemmed from this man. A man who still haunted Naruto's nightmares and Sasuke wasn't leaving until he had a chance to face him. He knew he would have to answer to Naruto for this little visit of his but he didn't care.

"I usually don't see visitors this early in the morning," a deep voice said from behind and Sasuke turned around to greet its owner.

"My situation is urgent and I was told PS1 could help me." Sasuke said, not bothering to pull his hands from his pockets.

"And what sort of situation could I possibly help you with?" The man replied. He carefully eyed Sasuke, taking in his dirty clothes and oversized coat but still not offering a handshake.

The close inspection and silent dismissal wasn't hard to miss. Sasuke recalled his conversation with Naruto about the political connections the man in front of him likely had. A man like that doesn't get to where he is without being cunning and shrewd and Sasuke knew he'd do well not to underestimate the man Naruto called Rasa.

"I have a son that needs looking after," Sasuke said.

"I see. Let's discuss the details in my office, Mister…"

"Hatake," Sasuke answered.

The director paused and then held his arm out toward the hallway. "You can call me Sabaku. Please, this way."

Sasuke stepped into the hallway and Sabaku took the lead down the corridor. The Uchiha's eyes worked fast. Expensive leather shoes. Smooth uncalloused hands and a very familiar shade of red hair. He didn't see any bulge from under Sabaku's shirt, but that didn't necessarily mean the man wasn't armed. Sasuke his hands from his pockets.

Inside the office, both men settled into their chairs. Sabaku behind his desk and Sasuke directly in front. The older redhead pulled a pack of smokes from his drawer and offered one to Sasuke. The Uchiha declined.

"I have to say," Sabaku began, "you remind me of someone but I can't seem to place you." He lit his cigarette and tossed the matches to his desk. Leaning back in his chair, he blew out a long train of smoke, considering Sasuke. "I never forget a face."

"I came to New York City a month ago. Just me and my son," Sasuke said.

"The son you want to leave in my care."

"I was told he'd be taken care of. Given an education and hot meals."

Sabaku nodded and ashed his cigarette. "I've ran this facility for over twenty years. Seeing to the care of hundreds, maybe thousands of children." He took another lazy drag from his smoke. "Your son would receive the best care at PS1."

"Fees?" Sasuke's eyes stayed glued on Sabaku.

"All that's needed is for you to fill out and sign a few forms. Once your son is permanently signed over to my care, all that's left is for you is to bring him here."

The casual look of satisfaction on Sabaku's face bothered Sasuke. There had been no questions about why Sasuke could no longer take care for said child. The man behind the desk wasn't even curious about the child's name. Instead, he lounged in his large wooden chair smoking a cigarette with a barely there grin that infuriated the young Uchiha mobster. Sabaku's eyes were empty. Hard. A man who knew the cost of everything but valued nothing.

"Where do I sign?" Sasuke asked, speaking slow. Careful not give voice to his anger.

Again, Sabaku pulled on his cigarette and narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. "I have the papers here," he said and leaned forward.

Sasuke watched the man rummage through his desk drawers and files and easily noted the deliberate patience. No, Naruto hadn't been at all wrong Sabaku. _Rasa._ The man's every action was predatory and Sasuke couldn't help but be reminded of his brother. Exacting. Deliberate. Itachi never took anyone at face value and Sasuke no intention of that doing now. The man in front of him was sly and Sasuke knew Sabaku would keep searching his memory for Sasuke's face until he was satisfied.

"If you are having trouble finding work in the city," Sabaku said, placing the paperwork on his desk. "I have contacts at factories throughout New York."

Sasuke undid his coat and stood from his chair. "That would be helpful." He reached for the contract. "Do you have a pen?"

Sabaku reached again into the drawer and Sasuke moved to the side of the desk. With one hand, the director of the orphanage placed a pen next to Sasuke and with the other he placed a revolver flat on the desk and let his hand rest on top of it.

Without missing a beat, Sasuke picked up the pen and began to thumb through the pages of the contract.

"It's not often I come across someone with steeled nerves like yours." Sabaku tapped his fingers against the weapon.

"I was a businessman in Japan. It takes a lot to rattle me," Sasuke answered and looked up.

"It must have been four? Five years ago?" Sabaku again leaned back but kept his hand lazily on the gun. "I was attending a small get together at an old cotton mill. All the clan bosses showed." Sabaku's barely there grin returned. "They always had the decency to shelve their differences when they were product shopping."

Sasuke remained standing and quiet.

"And I remember this one clan member who inquired about buying one of my younger products." Sabaku continued his finger tapping. "I remember him because unlike the others who come to me for unsoiled product, this man's eyes showed none of the hunger I usually see. If anything, his dark eyes regarded me in a way I found extremely irritating. On that reason alone, I had the owner deny him."

Sabaku sat straight up. "You see, those girls didn't belong to the mill owner. They belonged to me. Bonded labor. Each and every piece of product I send from this place to anywhere else is owned by me," he said and leaned back. "Their wages come to me. The factory owners are just," Sabaku moved his hand from the gun and waved it in the air. "Middlemen."

Sasuke said nothing.

"Yes, I remember Itachi," Sabaku said and again rested his hand on the gun. "I'll admit, it took me longer than normal to piece it all together. Who you are. Why you're here."

Sasuke set down the paper and pen but did not take his eyes from Sabaku. "And that is…"

"Rumors of your blond haired, blued eyed lover have reached far and wide, _Uchiha Sasuke._ I didn't connect him to one of my runaways at first. But later when I heard about his redheaded best friend, I knew they were the same two who escaped, killing several boys here at the orphanage who had unfortunately got in their way."

Sasuke's heart rate evened. His eyes stayed fixed on the man next to him but he didn't move. With every word that fell from Sabaku's mouth, Sasuke calculated the distance between them. Considering each variable. Already his body was half turned. His left hand purposely near his hip where he had set down the paperwork. All that was left was to wait.

"If I had known that red headed bastard and your boy whore had swiped my books, I would've hunted them down."

"Gaara is your son," Sasuke said.

"Hmph. I would never claim a child born by his whore of a mother." Sabaku turned slightly in his chair. "It's a shame you won't be able to tell them their little plan didn't work. The paper would never publish anything negative about me."

Sasuke said nothing. His eyes stayed on the director, taking in the whole of him while his peripheral counted each tap of Sabaku's fingers against the gun. Memorizing the rhythm.

"Or," Sabaku continued. "They already know and that's why you're here. That worthless blond haired trash too afraid to face me on his own?"

 _Tap-tap. Tap. Tap._

"I overestimated you Uchiha. Your clan didn't strike me as a people who would cater to the whims of their whores."

Tap. Tap-tap. Tap.

"Maybe that was just Madara," Sabaku said. "Or the other one. What was his name? The one with that hunger we were talking about. Uchiha…" Again, he lifted his hand in the air as he searched for the name.

Sasuke kicked the chair under Sabaku sending him flying backwards. It was the moment he'd been waiting on. That extra split second separation of the gun from Sabaku's fingers. With all his strength, he simultaneously sent the chair backwards while his left hand freed his katana for his right. Before Sabaku hit the floor, Sasuke's sword was spinning and arching over his head. Both hands now driving it downward and through the chest of the man Naruto called Rasa.

"Ugh-guh!" Sabaku cough up blood and reached up clawing to get at Sasuke.

"No one knows I'm here," Sasuke said to him. "And _Obito,_ I'm happy to say suffered the same fate as you." Sasuke stood and pulled his katana with him.

The man on the floor gurgled and coughed and then died.

Sasuke picked the contract up from the desk and used it to wipe the blood from his katana. He sheathed it, tossed the paperwork to the floor, walked out of the office and out the front door of Public School 1.

* * *

"You're luck nobody saw you," Naruto said. He hadn't taken his eyes off the ocean while listening to Sasuke's story. It wasn't hard to predict how it was going to end so there was no sense feigning surprise.

"You're not mad?"

Naruto heard the curiosity in Sasuke's voice and felt his dark Uchiha eyes staring at him. "I'm pissed you lied to me," he said and face him. "And that you went without me."

"You would've tried to stop me," Sasuke said still eying Naruto.

"I would've," Naruto answered and turned back to the sea.

"Naruto -"

"Oiy."

Naruto and Sasuke turned around to find Kakashi making his way over to them.

"Juugo is looking for you," Kakashi said. "Something about a telegram Itachi received."

"Must be from the investors. They want the estimate on the crates we lifted from my uncle's warehouse," Sasuke told them.

"Is that how you're financing everything?" Naruto asked.

"Itachi has already set up Uchiha Trading. We'll be dealing in antiques and art from now on. Maybe a few local businesses to help keep our adopted city lucrative, Sasuke answered.

"No more killing?"

"No more killing," Sasuke said

"He's getting ready to head to breakfast." Kakashi pushed his hands into his pockets. "I was curious," he added. "I've talked it over with Itachi and asked Tenten before she left, but what none of us can figure is why Orochimaru never interfered."

"I've thought about it too and have no answer," Sasuke said.

Naruto's eyes widened at hearing Orochimaru's name. He looked over at Sasuke and saw his lover's suspicious eyes already on him.

"Maybe Konan has an answer," Sasuke added and then brought his attention back to Kakashi.

"Did she go down with the others?" Kakashi asked.

"She sent me a telegram not long after the shakedown. I doubt she sent it from a prison cell."

"True," Kakashi said.

"Let my brother know I'll be a few more minutes."

Kakashi tugged his fedora down and left.

Naruto might have seen a smirk on Kakashi's face but he wasn't sure. He was positive Sasuke caught his reaction at the mention of Orochimaru. He quickly looked out at the sea and immediately felt Sasuke's eyes burning into the back of his head. He could practically hear the damn Uchiha's mind at work. Naruto chewed the inside of his lip.

"Tell me." The weight of Sasuke's voice made Naruto wince.

Not out of fear but from nervousness. Of course chances were the hot-blooded Uchiha would not be pleased with what Naruto had to say. But he also knew Sasuke was not without fault as well and that his lover was nothing if not quick at recognizing a stalemate.

"Orochimaru didn't interfere because of the deal I negotiated with him," Naruto said, still not wanting to face Sasuke.

"You made a deal with him on your own?" There was anger in Sasuke's voice but it was controlled.

"Not exactly," Naruto answered. "All I did was add one condition to the original."

" _His_ deal?" Sasuke said. "With us? When?"

"Your bedroom. After our huge fight. The rope. The -"

"Window," Sasuke finished, his voice quiet.

"I didn't want to tell you but now that everything is said and done, I know you understand why I did what I did. Taking matters into my own hands and making the decision without you." Naruto faced Sasuke and leveled his eyes at him. "I guess we both had the other's best interest in mind."

"And it worked," Naruto continued, his blue eyes dancing. "Orochimaru didn't so much as breathe in our direction." Naruto leaned in a little closer. "Well, it _was_ a helluva show," he said in a near whisper. "I'm still not sure if he had been somewhere in the garden, or docked along the pier with a telescope."

"Sasuke."

Naruto turned his head and saw Itachi. "Morning, Itachi."

"Good morning, Naruto. I'm afraid I need to speak with my brother."

"He's all yours," Naruto said.

Sasuke blinked. "I'll uh, we'll see you at breakfast," he said to Naruto and then walked past his brother. "Let's go."

"Are you blushing, Otouto?" Naruto heard Itachi say as they walked off.

"Fuck off Itachi," Sasuke shot back and Naruto bit down on his lip to hold back the laughter.

He watched them disappear through one of the doorways and then turned his attention back to the sea.

It was done. He could finally stop running. It had taken years, but he and Gaara had made it. _Gaara._ Naruto's smile faded. It would be a long road ahead for Gaara but Naruto already promised himself that nothing would come between him and making sure his best friend would be alright. It would be a new life for both of them and for the first time the two of them could look to the future. However hard, however long, Naruto would be the rock that Gaara had always been for him. The possibilities were frightening but being able to have a second chance was exhilarating.

Just then the haze of the morning began to burn away and the sun crept out, sending beams along the ocean waves. Naruto took a deep breath and thought about his friends and Sakura. The ones that didn't make it and the ones he left behind. He whispered their names to the sea and vowed to never forget them.

As the wind started to pick up, Naruto blinked away the sting in is eyes and walked away. He had a breakfast to deliver and he didn't want to be late.

The end.

A/N - I hope you enjoy my story and if you are interested in reading an epilogue, please let me know in the comments. If there's enough interest I might post it here or on a03. Blesssings and love to you all.

Tandy.


	24. Chapter 24:Epilogue:Bound to you- Part 2

**Warnings** : Some sex, some cursing and maybe some tears.

 **Author's Note** : Hello all. Well, here is the epilogue you asked for. My apologies that it's so short but there really wasn't much left to tell except for maybe a final scene from Gaara and Naruto, respectively. I hope you enjoy this last look at the world from Bound to You. I also hope it gives you some closure. Stories can't go on forever. Sooner or later we all have to say goodbye. Thanks for all your wonderful comments throughout this fic and for those of you who enjoy re-reading it now and then, I'm super flattered by your affection for my story. I do want to take this moment and add that I will be taking a hiatus from fic writing. I hope those of you still kind enough to read my work will understand.

Thank you for every kindness, Dear Reader and I send you much love and many blessings.

***this fic had no beta. please excuse any and all fuckups. thank you***

* * *

 **Epilogue** : Bound to you - Part 2

Once upon a time, Gaara was born. He didn't remember being born but something told him it must have been important because why else would fate have singled him out? Latched onto his soul like a curse. Never visible but always there.

Gaara looked up from his bed and at the jade urn on the dresser. She had asked him to go with Naruto to Japan and to take her with him. He hadn't wanted to, but when Naruto started in with all his doubts and fears over whether or not his parents would accept him, Gaara let that old protectiveness he had whenever it came to Naruto, overrun his good sense. He boarded the boat with his best friend and now, sitting alone in his room at the Uchiha compound, he wondered what was next for him. What plans did fate still have in store for the homeless orphan boy from New York?

Gaara brought his knees up and wrapped his arms around his legs. It was still early and Naruto wouldn't be over to check on him for at least another hour. The whole reason Gaara came to Japan was to make sure his best friend would be okay. But once Naruto contacted his missing family and his mother and father got over their shock of not just finding out their son was alive, but also gay _and_ in love with a one-time New York American gangster… all of Naruto's doubts faded, leaving Gaara without a friend to look after.

Minato and Naruto's mother, Kushina had turned out to be two of the kindest people Gaara had ever met. Outside of Naruto that is. It hadn't taken him long to see where the blond had gotten it all from. His hair, his charm and compassion. His light.

And his parents never questioned it when Naruto introduced Gaara to them as his brother. They showered the redhead with just as much affection and home cooked meals as they did their long lost son. Neither Naruto's father or mother once asked Gaara about his real family or why he had been an orphan or anything at all that might make it seem like his past would make a difference to them. They had accepted him with open arms and treated him no different than their real son. Right down to the same scolding by Kushina when like Naruto, Gaara didn't touch the vegetables on his dinner plate one evening.

A small twitch came to Gaara's mouth at the memory.

He had never considered having a family of his own. And even though the Namikaze accepted Gaara as their own, it still secretly made him feel like a thief in the night. Someone who snuck in and supplanted himself amongst Naruto's birth parents without being invited. Not that they would agree and Naruto would be outright pissed if he found out Gaara felt that way. But the redhead couldn't help it. No amount of dinners or birthday celebrations could get him to shake the feeling that he didn't belong at Naruto's side anymore.

He stared at the box. Naruto didn't need him anymore. He wouldn't lie and say that was a bad thing, even if it did make him feel a bit lost. Watching Naruto find his smile brought an honest joy to Gaara. He owed his best friend so much that to finally see all that he had hoped for Naruto, now surround the blond day in and day out, made Gaara happy.

To a point.

It wasn't bitterness and truth be told, Gaara would say he felt a little ashamed for wishing Naruto's happiness hadn't come at such a high price.

Gaara let out a sigh and wiped at his eyes. He looked at his hand and saw the moisture. More and more it was getting harder to fight back the tears.

He didn't blame Naruto. He would rather die than ever blame Naruto for all they'd gone through in New York, but Gaara couldn't help but wish there could have been another way. There was no more anger in him. No more rage. Sakura had done that for him and now all Gaara wanted was to find a way to live without her.

Naruto would never agree to what Gaara wanted. The damn blond kept coming over everyday to check up on him and drag him to Sasuke's office in town where they would help Itachi with the export company. It was honest work and Gaara was grateful, but the feeling never left him. The place at Naruto's side was no longer his and inside Gaara the need to find a place where he did belong, ate at him.

Their roles had reversed. For the past year, Naruto had become his protector. Checking up on him. Making sure he never ate dinner alone. Naruto was doing everything he could to prove to Gaara that he had no intention of ignoring him now that he and Sasuke were living together and it touched Gaara to know how hard his best friend was trying. But it didn't change how he felt.

He and Naruto would hang out after dinner either playing poker with the guys or watching a movie at the theater Itachi had built in the nearby village but the nights would always end the same. With Naruto going home to Sasuke and Gaara going home alone.

Gaara pulled his gaze away from the urn and got out of bed. The sun was just coming up and he knew if he hurried, he'd catch Itachi at breakfast. Gaara knew the older of the two Uchihas was a fierce businessman but he also knew the man was inherently kind.

It had been Itachi who had gone to Gaara with news of Naruto's parents. Of course the redhead had heard it all that night out on the kitchen porch, but it was the older brother who had pulled him aside when Gaara returned from his late night walk.

Gaara stepped into the shower and remembered how Itachi had come to him. He didn't bother trying to lie that it was anything other than Sasuke's interests he had in mind when it came to his brother and Naruto. And he admitted that maybe telling Gaara was wrong and selfish but that Itachi also had the suspicion that Gaara felt the same way about Naruto and so for good or ill, the redhead deserved to know the truth about Naruto's decision.

And the man had been right. There was no malice in Itachi's words and Gaara appreciated the level of respect the man gave him. So once Gaara made his decision, Itachi seemed like the obvious choice for support. After all, what Gaara wanted would affect Naruto and in turn, his relationship with Sasuke.

Gaara quickly rinsed off. He hurried out of the shower, dressed and stepped out of the small minka Sasuke had built for him on the Uchiha compound. It was small and quiet and Gaara had been grateful that neither Sasuke or Naruto tried to pressure him into staying in the large house with the rest of them. The money the clan brought back from America helped Itachi build the largest home in the village. Ten rooms and three stories high was more than enough for everyone who returned on the boat, but the place made Gaara feel small. He never could get comfortable staying there and was happy when he moved out.

When Sasuke presented Gaara with the keys to his own place off in the corner of the property, it had left the redhead speechless. More so than usual.

Gaara crossed the garden and made his way to main house. He walked around the porch to the kitchen entrance and saw Itachi already seated at the table and reading the morning paper.

"Good morning, Gaara. Sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you. Good morning, Itachi."

Itachi set his paper down and took a drink from his coffee cup. "Interesting news today," he said and nodded at the newspaper.

Gaara couldn't read what it said since it was in Japanese and he looked up at Itachi and waited for the explanation.

"The U.S. stock market has taken a nosedive," Itachi said and held out a hand for Gaara to join him at the table. "Looks like liquidating all our assets and coming here turned out to be the better plan."

Yamato came into the room and set down a coffee and a plate of Gaara's usual toast and jam.

"Thank you, Yamato," Gaara said quietly and the older man nodded back at him. "I uh…" Gaara looked back at Itachi. "I hope Shika and the guys will be alright. How bad is it?"

"It's pretty bad." Itachi's eyes softened. "I already sent Juugo with telegram for Shikamaru, making sure to reiterate the offer to join us here in Japan."

Gaara sipped his coffee. "Thank you, Itachi."

The older brother leaned back in his chair. "Think nothing of it. However, something tells me you have something else on your mind."

"I need to leave," Gaara said flatly. "For good." There was no sense sugar coating anything. If anyone appreciated frankness without artifice, it was Itachi.

"And you haven't talked to Naruto."

"No," Gaara said after another drink. "He's going to try and stop me."

"And you think this could cause a rift between my brother and yours."

Gaara snapped his head up. He knew Itachi would understand the situation but just how well the man saw things always impressed him.

"Yes. I don't want to do anything that might make Naruto think that I'm leaving because of Sasuke. Things like that fester over time. If he ended up resenting Sasuke because of me…"

Itachi wiped his mouth with his napkin and then set it aside.

"Tell them together."

Gaara stared back at Itachi.

"Tell them at the same time so they can both see your conviction for themselves," Itachi said to him. "I'd be happy to help keep Sasuke in line if -"

"No," Gaara interrupted. "Thank you, but if I go in there with you at my side -"

"It'll seem like an ambush," Itachi finished and Gaara nodded.

"Thank you again, Itachi. For everything. I won't forget it." Gaara stood up from the table and Itachi got up as well.

"This will always be your home," The elder said and went to him with is hand out.

"Thank you." Gaara shook his hand and then left.

He walked back across the property and when he came to his place he sat down on the engawa and took off his shoes. The garden between the main house and his, was beautiful. Juugo and Yamato would work the property, sometimes side by side, planting flowers or tending to the bushes. Yamato built a small wooden bridge over the pond Juugo had put in for the local ducks that found their way onto the property, turning the whole landscape into a picturesque work of art. On more than a few mornings, Gaara found himself sitting out on the engawa watching them work. He offered several times to help but was either shooed away or asked to pick up something from the local nursery for them. Gaara had understood. The garden was their baby and they were content tending to it on their own.

He took in a deep breath and knew he would miss it. The peacefulness of the Uchiha compound; but it couldn't be helped. Maybe once the first signs of grey hair started showing on his head, he'd be ready for peace like this. Hell, just a little over a year ago, he thought he had been ready. But that life was gone. It was locked away forever inside a jade box never to return.

All Gaara wanted now was to keep moving until he found _his_ place. Until then, peace would have to wait.

Gaara heard Itachi's car roar to life and slowly drive off the property. Naruto would be here soon. He thought over what Itachi told him and agreed. If he was going to tell Naruto goodbye then he'd have to say it to both of them.

Dinner, he thought and stared out at the garden as he waited for Naruto.

* * *

Sasuke's skin looked beautiful in the natural light. Naruto ran his hands up the sleek ivory torso of his lover and watched enthralled as the man he loved writhed above him.

When he woke this morning, Sasuke had greeted him with a kiss that quickly turned into a desperate need to fuck. Now riding Naruto, Sasuke's body glowed from the daylight let in by the room's yukimi shoji. With the third floor east wing all to themselves, they never had to worry about prying eyes. Something Sasuke was adamant about when they had moved into the large manor.

Naruto, of course knew better than to object.

"Oh god, Sasuke. I'm so close." Naruto took hold of his lover's hips and pulled him harder against his own thrusts. His eyes rolled back at the feel of his dick sliding in and out of the tight heat. Every few moves, Sasuke would clench and Naruto would respond by digging his nails into his lover's skin. It was taking all he had to keep from cumming first.

With mouth open and sweat dripping from his brow, Sasuke continued to roll his hips. He pumped his cock, trying to match Naruto's pace and stared deep into his eyes.

"Oh fuck." Just the look on Sasuke's face caused Naruto's balls to tighten.

"Na -" Sasuke gasped and came into his hand just as Naruto let go, filling him with his seed.

"Ah shit." Still thrusting up, Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the back of his neck and dragged him down into a kiss. The one-time gangster panted into Naruto's mouth, trying to catch his breath while at the same time trying to taste him.

"Tell me, Sasuke. Tell me what you want."

"I want you." Sasuke kissed him deeply and took his hand, interlocking their fingers.

Naruto bit and sucked at Sasuke's neck wanting to mark the skin and then rolled them both over and ground himself into him.

"Ssss… ah dobe, I'm still sensitive."

"I know, that's why I do it," Naruto said and smiled against his lips. "I love it when you cry out." Again, he flexed his hips hard into Sasuke's spent cock.

"Aah fuck!" Sasuke pulled back and glared at him. "Naruto."

Naruto erupted in laughter and kissed him again, this time easing up his grip and making sure to give the man a chance to recuperate.

They stayed in bed as their tongues and hands enjoyed the fading afterglow until they heard Itachi leave for the office.

"Bath?" Naruto said and playfully bit into Sasuke's chin.

"Hn."

Naruto got up and hurried through their morning routine, then to their closet. Gaara was probably already waiting for him. Naruto had promised Itachi he'd help with several deliveries out of town knew it would be better if he and Gaara got an early start.

"Somewhere you have to be?" Sasuke came up behind him and kissed his neck. "I thought everything at the port had been unloaded," he said and then moved past him to reach into the closet for a pair of slacks.

"It has," Naruto said and pulled on a dress shirt. "But there's a few deliveries out of town I told Itachi -"

"Don't let him boss you around Naruto," Sasuke said. "I know you want to continue to work but you don't have to."

"Oh, so you're allowed to have a job but I'm suppose to stay in the kitchen?" Naruto stopped buttoning his shirt. "You're fucking kidding me, right?"

"Naruto, I didn't mean -"

"I _offered,_ Sasuke." Naruto threw his lover a glare and resumed with his button work. "I like working for Itachi. He treats me with respect and doesn't just keep me around for the heavy lifting."

"I don't just keep you around for the -"

 _"_ _And_ helping him out, helps Gaara." Naruto gave Sasuke a weak smile.

"How is he," Sasuke asked.

"Same," Naruto said and stepped into a new pair of corduroys. "I mean at least he's no longer mute or hiding in his room but…"

"But?"

Naruto did the clasp on his pants, then looked up. "I don't know." Naruto stood for a moment but then turned and walked back toward the window. "I don't know what's going on with him but I know what it feels like."

"What does it feel like?" Sasuke followed him.

"It feels like he's waiting for something." Naruto watched the sky and his eyes followed a black and white crane flying over the compound. "I just don't know what."

"Waiting on you?"

Naruto turned around and faced him. "I don't know."

Sasuke stepped in close and circled his arms around Naruto's waist. "Ask him to dine with us tonight. Get him to talk to you. Itachi will be with Kakashi and Shisui going over the blueprints for the new warehouse."

"You wouldn't mind?" Naruto leaned back.

"Gaara's family, Naruto. No different than Itachi or Yamato or even that buffoon Ka -"

"Okay, I get it." Naruto grinned and kissed him. "C'mon. Let's go."

"And anytime you feel like taking over the business so I can stay home and do the heavy lifting, please say when," Sasuke said and fixed his cufflinks.

"I never knew you wanted to be a kept man," Naruto said as he followed Sasuke out the bedroom door. "Would your home-making include some kind of French maid's uniform?"

"Hn," was all Sasuke replied and Naruto couldn't stop himself from slapping the Uchiha's ass hard."

Sasuke didn't even slow his gait.

"Fuck, I'd kill to see that," Naruto said and followed him downstairs.

* * *

Less than an hour into dinner, the mood had shifted and both Naruto and Sasuke sat staring at the redhead across from them. It had been a long day and though exhausted, Naruto's heart began to race at Gaara's declaration. He shook his head and tried to focus on what his best friend had just said.

"No. You don't mean that." Naruto stood up from the dinner table.

"Naruto."

"You want him to leave?" Naruto turned on Sasuke. "Is that what you're saying?"

"Of course not. I'm just trying to get you to calm down and listen to what he has to say," Sasuke answered. "This can't be easy for him. Standing his ground in front of us both. Think it through, Naruto."

Naruto looked at Gaara. "Why? Why now? Is it because of me and Sasuke?"

"No." Gaara stood up and dug his cigarettes out of his pocket. "May I?" He said to Sasuke and the former gangster pulled the matches from his vest pocket and handed them to him. "Thanks."

Gaara lit two smokes and passed one to Naruto. "Because it's too quiet here. It's too… beautiful here."

"That's dumb," Naruto said and ran his hands through his hair.

"Not to me." Gaara said and took a hard pull on his cigarette. "From the cherry blossoms in spring to the color of the box that holds her ashes, all I see is her." Gaara swallowed around his words. He wasn't used to feeling so exposed but he knew that unless he was 100% honest, Naruto would fight until he got Gaara to back down.

'I didn't realize -" Sasuke cut in.

"It's alright," Gaara said to him. "It was a kind gift and I'm grateful to you." Gaara faced his best friend. _His brother._ "This isn't about you and it isn't about Sasuke. This is what I need to do for me."

Naruto smoked his cigarette and felt his eyes begin to sting. "Where uh… where do you wanna go? Back to America?" Naruto sniffled and turned around, choosing to face the window rather than the men in the room.

"No." Gaara ashed his smoke. "I thought I might bounce around a Japan. See if I can find the small town my mother came from."

Naruto spun around. "You know who she is?"

"Not exactly. I heard a few rumors and listened at a few doors back when we were at P.S. One."

"And you think you can find her?"

"I think she died in New York," Gaara said and crushed out what was left of his cig in the ashtray on the table. "Finding family in Japan might be a long shot but if I can find just one relative..."

"You already have a family here," Naruto said quietly. "My mom and dad love you like a son."

"I know," Gaara said.

"And me." Naruto stared down at his feet. "You're the only brother I have. What the hell am I supposed to do? Just let you go?"

"Yes."

Naruto looked up. His eyes were red and Gaara could see the pain in them. It hurt him to see his friend this way. After all they had gone through together the last thing Gaara ever wanted was to cause Naruto more sadness.

"I'm not leaving Japan. I just need to be on my own."

"So then you'll come back."

"I don't know."

Naruto turned away again.

"I don't want you sitting around waiting for me to come back. I need to do this, Naruto. Please try and understand."

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

"Goddammit," Naruto said and started to pace. "Why the fuck so soon? Are you that anxious to get away from me? Huh?"

"Stop it," Gaara said and Naruto stood still and looked back at him. "If I don't leave as soon as possible I won't be able to. This isn't just hard for you, Naruto."

Naruto creased his brows and nodded. He turned back to the window and placed his hands on his hips.

"I'll make sure you have a car, cash, anything you need," Sasuke said to him.

"You don't have to do -"

"Well he insists," Naruto said and turned to face them both. "And so do I." Naruto set his cigarette in the ashtray and went to his friend. "No more playing the martyr, Gaara. No more living on the street and hustling for food because you think it's what you deserve. Deal?"

"Deal." Gaara held out his hand to Naruto and Naruto took it and yanked him in. He wrapped his arm around his best friend's neck and held him tight.

"And nothing you say will _ever_ keep me from waiting for you to come home," Naruto whispered into his ear and Gaara closed his eyes to keep the tears from falling.

Neither one made a move to let go and neither one heard Sasuke slip out of the room. They didn't sob or say another word. Only the soft sounds of sniffling gave them away as they held on tight, both trying to be strong for the other. Best friends til the end. Brothers.

* * *

Gaara had been on the road for nearly four hours before he pulled his Ford roadster pickup to the side of the road and took out the handwritten map the man in the last town had given him.

He left the Uchiha compound almost a week ago and been searching for a town called, Suna ever since. He looked up from his map and out the windshield of his car. The high winds rolled through his truck and Gaara squinted through the dust at the road sign up ahead.

SUNA

He set down the map and picked up the jade box on the seat next to him. When he opened the car door, the wind caught it and yanked it wide. Gaara stepped out and walked toward the city sign. Around him the sound of the wind whistled and droned and he turned to his left and this right taking in the vast landscape.

This is where his mother had lived and this is where he intended to stay. Family or not, Gaara was going to do his best to make a life here. He finally found his beginning and he looked down at the urn in his hand.

 _"_ _Promise me, Gaara. Promise me you'll stay with Naruto. Promise me you won't be alone." Gaara used his hand to wipe the blood from Sakura's mouth but said nothing as they rode in the back of the meat truck._

 _"_ _Take me with you. I promise I'll find you. Wherever the wind takes me, I'll meet you there. In Japan. Far away from New York and -" Sakura coughed up more blood and Gaara squeezed her hand._

 _"_ _Shh. Save your energy. You're gonna need all your strength once we get the bullet out," he told her._

 _"_ _I love you. I always have. From the day I met you and every day since. You saved me, Gaara. You never failed me."_

 _"_ _That's not true."_

 _"_ _No." Sakura tugged on his hand. "It is. I always kept you in my heart. That's what kept me strong. You kept me strong."_

 _"_ _Sakura."_

 _"_ _It's okay. You don't have to love me back. I gave you my heart a long time ago. It was always bound to you."_

 _"_ _I do," he said to her. "I've never loved anything the way I love you. I do love you Sakura. I love you."_

 _"_ _Gaara."_

 _"_ _I'm here," he said to her. "Sakura? Sakura?"_

Tears fell from Gaara's eyes and the wind sucked them away. He looked up and saw the sun was already sinking low and that dusk had arrived. The sky above him was bathed in deep reds and brilliant pinks and Gaara opened the urn, letting the wind swirl and carry Sakura into the sky and to the landscape beyond. He watched as she danced around him and then disappeared.

A calm came over him and he closed his eyes. Nothing but the wind answered back and he knew this is where he was meant to be.

Gaara opened his eyes and closed the lid. When he got back to the car, he placed the box under the seat and started up the truck. Careful not to get himself stuck in the muddy ruts at the side of the road, Gaara threw the truck in reverse, backed up, then shifted it into first. Looking to the road ahead, Gaara felt the past leave him and he took a deep breath, letting the new sights and smells engulf him. Picking up speed, he shifted again. He was going home.

 _The end._


End file.
